PRIVATE  LIBRAEY 

— OF— 

J.  S.  Leonhardt,  M.  D. 

Mo /.V 


THE 
PRO    AND    CON 

OP 

SUPERNATURAL   RELIGION; 

OR, 

An  Answer   to   the    Question:   '''■Have  we  a  Supermit- 

uraUy  Revealed,  Infallibly  Inspired,  an  I  3firac- 

ulously  Attested  Religion  in  the  World?^^ 


IN  FOUR  PARTS. 

Pakt  I.  A  brief  history  of  the  four  great  Religions 
claiming  a  Supernatural  origin— Paganism,  Judaism. 
Christianity  and  Mohammedanism. 

Pabt  II.  Review  of  the  arguments  in  favor  of  Super- 
natural Religion. 

Part  III.  Statement  of  the  arguments  against  Super- 
natural Religion. 

Part  IV.  Particular  remarks  on  the  Supernatural 
Origin  of  Christianity,  and  statement  of  the  views  of 
Rationalists  on  Inspiration.  Revelation  and  Religion. 


BY    E.    E.    GUILD. 

TOGETHEB  WITH  A  SKETCH  OF  THE  LIFE  OF  THE  AUTHOR. 


There  is  no  human  religion  outside  of  human  nature. 

The  different  forms  of  religion  contain  the  elements  of 
one  universal  religion,  and  are  but  different  phases  of 
the  religion  of  humanity. 

Describe  to  me  the  God  whom  you  worship,  and  I  see 
In  that  description  a  reflex  image  of  yourself. 


NEW    YORK: 
B.  M.  BENNETT,  335  BROADW 

1876. 


PREFACE 


Whenever  an  opinion  or  institution  which»has 
long  been  held  to  be  sacred,  is  attacked,  the  preju- 
dices of  their  adherents  will  of  course  be  shock- 
ed. This  proves  nothing  either  for  or  against  the 
opinion  or  institution.  The  same  shock  is  experienced 
by  the  Egyptian  when  he  hears  the  sacredness  of  leeks 
and  onions,  cats  and  other  animals  questioned.  Also 
by  the  Hindoo,  when  the  divinity  of  bis  idols  is  dis- 
puted. And  by  the  Mohammedans,  when  the  authority 
of  the  Koran  is  denied.  For  ages  mankind  have 
revered,  venerated  and  held  sacred  three  great  idols — 
the  Priesthood,  the  Bible  and  the  Church.  The  first 
has  been  regarded  as  the  authorized  instructor  of  the 
people  in  knowledge,  wisdom  and  virtue  ;  the  second 
as  the  ultimate  standard  of  appeal  to  settle  all  differ- 
ences of  opinion  ;  the  lust  as  a  secure  shelter  from  the 
wrath  of  an  incensed  Deity  and  the  evil  influence  of 
a  semi-omnipotent  Devil,  who  disputes  willi  llie  Al- 
mighty the  supremacy  of  the  Universe.  These  are 
monstrous  errors,  degrading  and  pernicious  in  their 
influence.    One  design  of  this  work  is  to  expose  them. 

Although  the  Priesthood  of  the  present  day  profess 
to  be  the  friends  of  education,  they  are  so  only  in  so 
far  as  they  can  control  it.     There  is  a  certain  kind  of 

2064089 


PREFACE. 

information  which,  to  the  extent  of  their  ability,  they 
keep  from  the  knowledge  of  the  people.  This  work 
is  intended  to  impart  to  them  that  very  knowledge. 
The  writer  does  not  believe  that  ignorance  is  the 
mother  of  true  devotion,  nor  that  it  is  a  good  soil  for 
the  growth  of  true  religion.  Nor  does  he  believe  with 
Eusebius  that  falsehood  is  good  as  a  medicine  for  the 
mind,  nor  that  in  order  to  benefit  the  people  it  is 
necessary  to  deceive  them.  He  does  not  endorse  the 
sentiment  of  Gregory,  surnamed  "  The  Divine,"  who 
says,  "  a  little  jargon  is  all  that  is  necessary  to  impose 
on  tfie  people,"  nor  that  of  Synecius,  a  bishop  of  the 
Church,  whose  opinion  was  that  "  the  people  are  de- 
sirous of  being  deceived."  And  although  he  said  that 
"  to  himself  he  should  always  be  a  philosopher,  but, 
in  dealing  with  the  mass  of  mankind,  he  should  be  a 
priest,"  we  say  it  is  the  duty  of  every  man  who  as- 
sumes the  office  of  a  public  instructor,  to  be  not  only 
a  philosopher  to  himself,  bat  to  the  people  also,  and 
to  make  philosophers  of  them  too  if  he  can.  We  do 
not  believe  that  there  is  anything  true  about  religion 
that  the  people  ought  not  to  know,  nor  anything  false 
that  it  is  expedient  for  them  to  believe.  If  the  peopie 
are  perishing  at  all,  it  is  for  the  lack  of  knowledge 
and  for  proper  direction  of  the  faculties  and  powe-s 
which  the  God  of  Nature  has  bestowed  upon  tbem. 

The  present  inhabitants  of  the  world  number  1,288,- 
000,000  souls  ;  one-quarter  of  these  are  nominal  Chris- 
tians. If  we  allow  that  one  in  four  of  these  are  actu- 
al professors,  the  number  will  be  80,500,000.  Can  tiic 
idea  be  entertained  for  a  monient  that  for  a  period  of 
near  6,000  years  God  has  been  endeavoring,  by  the 
most  stupendous  miracles,  to  establish  a  religion  in  the 
world,  on  the  belief  of  which  hang  blli^;)ended  the 


PREFACE. 

eternal  interests  of  mankind,  and  that  belief  in  it  is 
confined  to  only  a  small  remnant  of  our  race  ?  Is  it 
not  a  much  better,  broader,  more  charitable  view,  one 
more  honorins;  to  God,  and  more  satisfactory  to  be- 
lieve, that  all  forms  of  religion  contain  some  truth 
and  some  error,  and  that  it  is  a  perfectly  lawful  and 
legitimate  business  to  separate  the  one  from  the  other  ? 
To  this  work  these  pages  are  dedicated  as  an  assist- 
ant. May  they  be  efiectual  in  accomplishing  this  design. 
The  position  defended  by  the  author  is,  that  there  is  no 
true  religion  except  what  is  perfectly  natural  to  man  ; 
and  that  whatever  else  is  so  called,  is  a  delusion  and 
a  snare.  The  great  objection  urged  against  this  view 
is,  that  "without  supernatural  revelation,  we  could 
know  nothing  about  God,  or  our  relations  to  him,  nor 
of  our  duty  to  him  and  our  fellow-men."  This  comes 
with  an  ill  grace  from  those  who  accept  as  infallible 
an  authority  which  flatly  contradicts  them.  The  Bible 
teaches  that  ' '  the  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God, 
that  the  invisible  tilings  of  him,  from  the  creation 
of  the  world,  are  clearly  seen,  being  understood 
by  the  things  that  are  made."  Paul  quoted  the 
testimony  of  a  heat.hen  poet  to  prove  that  mankind  aie 
the  children  of  God,  and  he  asserted  that  the  Gentiles 
who  had  not  the  law,  but  were  a  law  unto  themselves, 
did  by  nature  the  things  contained  in  the  law,  their 
consciences  accusing  or  excusing  one  another,  Jesus, 
addressing  the  nmltitude,  says,  "why  even  of  your- 
selves judge  ye  not  what  is  right  ?"  implying  an  abil- 
ity on  their  part  to  distinguish  between  right  and 
wrong.  But  what  can  be  expected  of  men  who  have 
been  educated  to  think  that  investigation  and  the  use 
of  their  reason  are  wrong,  and  put  in  jeopardy  their 
eternal  interest  i    What  men  need  is  to  have  the  men- 


PREFACK 

tal  crutches  on  which  they  have  been  leaning  remov- 
ed ;  to  be  taught  to  rely  on  themselves,  and  "stand 
up  and  show  themselves  men."  No  greater  evil  exists 
in  human  society  than  a  superstition  which  makes 
mental  and  moral  slaves  of  men,  drowning  reason  in 
fanaticism,  and  making  men  fear  to  use  legitimately 
the  powers  and  faculties  which  the  God  of  Nature  has 
bestowed  upon  them. 

This  work  is  designed  to  impress  the  minds  of  men, 
not  by  addressing  their  love  of  the  mysterious  and 
wonderful,  but  by  appeals  to  those  powers  of  the 
mind  with  whose  dictates  the  views  herein  presented 
are  in  perfect  harmony.  The  religious  world  is  in  a 
state  of  transition,  consequent  on  which  there  is  great 
commotion  and  apparent  confusion.  The  same  state 
of  things  existed  soon  after  the  breaking  out  of  the 
Protestant  Reformation,  in  view  of  which  some  timid 
men  like  Melancthon  and  Erasmus,  threatened  to 
abandon  the  cause  and  go  back  to  the  Mother  Church. 
We  have  the  same  class  of  timid  souls  now.  They 
fear  that  free  investigation  will  unsettle  the  very  foun- 
dations of  religious  belief,  and  leave  men  without  any 
religion  at  all.  But  men  of  strong  faith  know  better. 
The  number  of  brave,  free-born  minds  is  very  greatly 
on  the  increase.  They  do  not  fail  to  lay  the  axe  at  the 
root  of  the  tree,  to  strike  at  the  very  foundation  of 
superstition,  bigotry  and  intolerance.  They  realize 
that  the  present  commotion  cannot  always  continue  ; 
that  the  storm  will  ultimately  settle  into  a  calm  ;  and 
that  when  the  strife  is  over,  on  surveying  the  situa- 
tion, it  will  be  found  a  very  great  advance  has  been 
made  in  religious  thought  and  ideas. 


The  Pro  and  Con  of  Supernatural  Eeligion, 


PART    I. 

A  brief  Imtory  of  the  four  great  Religions  claiming  a 
Supernatural  Origin — Paganism,  Judaism^  Clmstianity 
and  Mohammedanism. 

Is  Religion  a  special  revelation  from  God  to  man  ? 
This  is  an  important  question.  If  the  affirmative  is 
true,  it  ought  to  be  known  and  believed  by  all  men. 
If  the  negative  answer  is  the  true  one,  the  sooner  the 
fact  is  made  known  to  the  world  the  better.  In 
answer  to  the  question,  millions  of  voices  will  loudl/ 
exclaim  Yes!  On  the  other  hand  millions  of  men 
with  equal  confidence  and  emphasis  will  answer  No! 
Both  cannot  be  right.  Both  are  ready  to  adduce  ar- 
guments to  justify  their  respective  opinions.  I  pro- 
pose at  this  time  to  array  the  arguments  of  the  con- 
tending parties  before  you.  I  will  give  them  an  open 
field  and  fair  play,  and  allow  you  to  judge  which 
comes  off  victor  in  the  contest.  Nearly  all  great 
battles  are  preceded  by  skirmishes — by  the  skirmish 
lines  of  the  respective  armies.  And  so,  before  I  bring 
on  the  onset  between  the  opposing  arguments  of  the 
attirmative  and  negative,  it  will  be  necessary  in  order 


8  THE  PRO  AKD   CX)N  OP 

that  you  may  liave  a  clear  view  of  the  battle  to  clear 
the  field  by  stating  a  few  preliminaries. 

By  supernatural  we  understand  an  event,  occur 
rence,  or  phenomenon,  produced  by  a  special,  direct 
and  miraculous  act  of  Divine  power. 

By  Nature,  we  mean  the  Universe,  with  ail  its 
varied  physical,  intellectual,  and  moral  phenomena. 

The  four  principal  religions  in  the  world  claiming 
a  supernatural  origin  are,  the  Pagan,  Jewish,  Christian 
and  Mohammedan.  Paganism  was  the  religion  of  all 
the  nations  of  the  earth  previous  to  the  establishment 
of  Judaism,  and  is  now  the  religion  of  more  than  one 
half  of  mankind.  We  can  trace  its  history  backward 
into  the  darkness  of  remote  ages  when  no  human 
records  were  made.  It  ii  the  most  ancient,  the  most 
wide  spread  and  has  endured  the  longest  of  any  re- 
ligion in  the  world.  Dr.  Justin  observes,  that,  "It 
was  the  religion  of  the  greatest,  the  wisest,  and  the 
politest  nations,  of  the  Chaldeans,  Egyptians,  and 
Phoenicians,  the  parents  of  civil  government,  and  of 
arts  and  sciences."  It  held  its  power  over  the  minds 
of  men  until  a  century  of  the  time  of  Christ,  at  which 
period  it  began  to  wane.  At  the  time  of  the  appear- 
ance of  Christ  universal  skepticism  prevailed  through- 
out all  Greece,  and  Rome,  among  all  their  poets,  philos- 
ophers, statesmen,  and  priests.  The  forms  how- 
ever were  kept  up,  and  the  common  people  who  were 
sunk  in  ignorance  still  continued  to  adhere  to  it.  In 
this  they  were  encouraged  by  their  educated  men  and 
priests,  among  whom  it  was  a  maxim,  that,  there 
were  many  things  true  in  religion  which  it  was  not 
convenient  for  the  vulgar  to  know  ;  and  some  things, 
which,  though  false,  it  was  expedient  for  tliem  to 
believe.     Those  who  should  have  been  the  instructoi-s 


SUPERNATURAL  RELIGION.  V 

of  the  people  were  their  deceivers.  Hence,  two  kinds 
of  philosophy  and  religion  were  taught  by  them  ;  tlie 
Esoteric  and  Exoteric,  the  first  to  be  taught  to  the 
educated,  the  other  to  the  masses  of  the  uneducated 
people. 

Judaism  has  existed  over  three  thousand  years. 
It  was  the  religion  of  one  nation  only,  and  that  com- 
paratively small  and  inhabiting  only  a  small  portion 
of  the  earth.  It  is  a  very  prevalent  opinion  in  our 
day  that  the  Jews  throughout  their  whole  history  have 
maintained  a  steady  and  uniform  faith  in  their  re- 
ligion. This  is  a  very  great  mistake.  Unbelievers 
were  by  no  means  uncommon  among  them.  They 
had  their  Paines  and  Voltaires  as  well  as  we.  At  a 
very  early  period  after  the  establishment  of  their  re- 
ligion by  Moses,  Korah,  Dathan,  and  Abiram,  "and  . 
two  hundred  and  fifty  princes  of  the  assembly, 
famous  in  the  congregation,  men  of  renoWn,"  rose  up 
in  rebellion  against  him,  and  disputed  his  right  to 
exercise  authority  over  thera.  It  is  impossible  to 
account  for  this  fact  only  on  the  supposition  that 
these  men  had  no  faith  in  the  Divine  appointment  and 
authority  of  Moses.  Reason  asserted  itself  in  the 
minds  of  these  dissenters  ;  but  its  voice  was  silenced 
by  the  popular  clamor,  and  Korah  and  his  com- 
pany were  sacrificed  to  the  fury  of  their  more  credu- 
lous and  practical  countrymen.  Aaron,  a  brother  of 
Moses,  and  the  first  priest  of  the  new  religion,  and 
his  wife  Miriam,  rebelled  against  Moses,  claiming  that 
he  had  no  superiority  over  them  as  a  teacher  of  the 
Lord. 

The  frequent  murmurings  and  rebellions  of  the 
Jews  against  Moses,  shows  that  their  confidence  in  his 
divine  authority  was  often  shaken    and  sometimes 


10  THE  PRO  Ain)   CON  OF 

well  nigh  abandoned.  Absalom,  too,  rebelled  against 
his  own  father  David,  and  sought  to  supplant  mm  on 
the  throne,  and  he  had  many  adherents.  Solomon 
apostatized  from  the  religion  of  his  fathers,  and 
adopted  that  of  the  Pagans.  After  the  death  of  Sol- 
omon, ten  of  ihe  Hebrew  tribe  set  up  a  kingdom  of 
their  own,  renounced  Judaism  and  embraced  and 
practiced  Paganism.  This  continued  for  a  period  of 
two  hundred  and  fifty  years.  In  the  mean  time,  the 
kingdom  of  Judah  vacillated  between  the  two  re- 
ligious, sometimes  practicing  the  one,  then  the  other. 
During  the  reigns  of  Hezekiah,  and  Josiah,  Judaism 
was  revived  and  flourished  for  a  short  time,  but  soon 
sank  again  with  the  fall  of  the  nation.  It  is  now  well 
nigh  extinct ;  a  great  majority  of  the  Jews  of  the 
present  day  no  longer  regard  it  as  a  supernatural 
religion.  At  that  time,  and  long  before  the  ap- 
pearance of.  Christ,  the  Jews  were  divided  into 
different  sects,  much  skepticism  prevailed,  and  some 
of  it  was  tolerated.  The  E-senes  discarded  all  forms 
and  ceremonies,  and  utterly  denied  the  authority  of 
tlie  letter  of  the  Jewish  sacred  books.  The  Samaritans 
and  Sadducees  denied  the  inspiration  of  all  the  books 
of  the  Old  Testament,  except  the  Pentateuch  ;  and  the 
latter  had  no  faith  in  a  future  state  of  existence.  And 
yet,  Sadducees,  and  Pharisees,  alike  sat  in  Moses' 
scat  and  fllled  the  ofiiceof  the  great  High  Priest  of 
the  .Jewish  religion. 

Ghristiamty,  has  existed  over  eighteen  and  a  half 
centur  es.  It  is  intimately  connected  with  Judaism, 
but  has  been  made  to  supersede  it.  Judaism,  how- 
ever, might  be  true  even  although  Christianisra  should 
be  proved  false.  But  if  Judaism  is  proved  false  it 
would  shake   Christianism  to   its  very   center.     The 


SUPERNATURAL  RELIGION.  11 

first  converts  to  Christianity  were  from  the  **  common 
people."  To  this  class  Christ  chiefly  confined  his 
teaching,  and  with  them  he  mainly  associated.  He 
exposed  the  rottenness  and  corruption  of  the  Jewish 
Church,  and  the  hypocrisy  of  its  priesthood  ar.d 
other  Church  dignitaries  and  members.  This  was 
very  pleasing  to  a  class  of  people  who  were  treated 
with  scorn  and  contempt  by  the  Church,  and  made 
him  an  acceptable  teacher  anions:  them.  The  new 
religion  was  accepted  in  Greece,  and  Rome,  for  a 
similar  reason.  It  exposed  the  frauds  and  imposi- 
tions of  the  Pagan  priests,  and  inculcated  the  exercise 
of  a  spirit  of  good  will  even  to  those  who  were  in  the 
lower  ranks  of  life.  The  Pagan  philosophers,  seeing 
in  it  a  system  of  pure  Theism,  which  was  then  the 
prevalent  belief  among  them,  and,  admiring  its  beau- 
tiful system  of  moral  ethics  did  not  discourage  its  re- 
ception, but  rather  encouraged  it,  and  some  of  them 
embraced  it.  Some  of  these  converts,  however,  denied 
its  supernatural  origin,  and  Avrote  against  it.  Por- 
pliyry,  a  Platonist,  wh )  lived  in  the  very  m-dst  of 
Christians  of  the  second  century,  and  who  accepted 
the  moral  teachings  of  Christianity,  nevertheless 
wrote  a  book  to  disprove  its  miraculous  origin.  So 
also,  did  Celsus,  and  Julian,  one  of  the  Roman  Em- 
perors, who  once  professed  it,  afterwards  renounced 
it.  For  this,  these  men  were  branded  as  apostates 
and  Infidels.  Under  Constantine,  Christianity  be- 
came the  religion  of  the  Roman  empire,  established 
by  law.  It  soon  became  corrupted,  and  in  this  cor- 
rupted form  held  sway  over  the  public  mind  of 
Europe  and  other  countries  all  through  the  Dark  Ages. 
On  the  revival  of  learning,  skepticism  began  to  make 
its  appearance  again.     It  increased  more  and  more  in 


12  THE  PRO  AND  CON  OF 

proportion  as  the  arts  and  sciences  flourished,  and  &s 
progress  was  made  in  education  and  civilization.  As 
the  science  of  the  laws  and  phenomena  of  Nature 
were  made  knowa  to  men,  they  became  sceptical  in 
regard  to  the  supernatural  and  miraculous,  and  that 
skepticism  they  applied  to  Christianity.  At  the 
present  time  a  wide  spread  unbelief  in  all  supernatu- 
ral occurrences  and  events  pervades  the  minds  of  all 
ranks,  classes,  and  conditions  of  men.  It  has  gained 
an  entrance  into  the  Church  itself,  aud  many  of  its 
clergymen  and  laymen  join  with  men  of  literature, 
learning  and  science,  in  utterly  repudiating  the  idea 
that  there  ever  was,  is  now,  or  ever  will  be  any  in- 
terruption of,  or  interference  with  the  steady,  uni- 
form, and  uninterrupted  operation  of  Nature  and  her 
laws  ;  and  also,  in  the  belief  that  we  must  have  a 
religious  system  based  on  scientific  facts,  and  not  on 
the  mere  dreams  and  visions  of  visionary  men. 

Mohammedanism,  originated  in  the  seventh  century 
of  the  Christian  era.  It  was  designed  not  to  super- 
sede Christianity,  nor  Judaism,  but  to  supplement 
both.  According  to  Mahomet,  Christ  undertook  to 
make  men  religious  b}^  preaching  a  doctrine  of  love, 
and  failed.  He  was  commissioned  of  God  to  propa- 
gate religion  by  fire  and  sword,  to  convert  men  by 
force  of  arms.  Mohammedanism  spread  with  aston- 
ishing rapidity.  It  was  established  in  Arabia, 
Turkey,  Persia,  and  among  several  nations  in  Africa 
and  India.  It  was  planted  in  the  sacred  land  trodden 
by  the  feet  of  Christ  and  his  Apostles,  and  supplanted 
Christianity  on  its  own  soil.  Mahomet  had  as  nianv, 
if  not  more  followers  than  Christ,  and  a  though  his 
religion  is  six  hundred  years  younger  than  Christiani- 


SUPERNATURAL  RELIGION.  18 

ay,  3'^et  there  are  more  real  Mohammedans  than  there 
are  real  Christians. 

All  four  of  these  religions  claim  a  heavenly  origin 
in  a  special  and  direct  sense.  They  do  not  mutually 
exclude  each  other.  Judaism,  it  is  true,  denies  the 
claims  of  all  the  rest,  Christianity  admits  the  claims 
of  Judaism,  but  denies  the  pretence  of  the  other  two ; 
whereas  Paganism  admits  the  supernatural  origin 
of  them  all,  and  claims  only  that  it  is  the  purest  and 
best  of  them  all. 

In  ihis  country  the  popular  opinion  is  that  the  re- 
ligions of  Paganism,  and  Mohammedanism,  are 
spurious  and  false  ;  but  that  the  claims  of  Judaism, 
and  Christianity,  are  based  on  an  impregnable  founda- 
tion of  truth.  On  the  other  hand  a  lari'e  and  respect- 
able minority  of  our  citizens  deny  the  claims  of  each 
one  of  them.  It  is  only  with  the  assumption  of 
Judaism,  and  Christianity,  that  we  have  now  to  do. 
Those  who  accept  these  religions  as  supernatural 
revelations  from  God,  do  so  on  the  authority  of  the 
Hebrew,  and  Christian  Bibles,  which  they  claim  con- 
stitute an  infallible  standard  of  religious  truth. 
Everything  here,  then,  depends  on  the  truth  or  falsi- 
ty of  the  assumption  in  regard  to  that  book.  The 
question  is  :  Is  the  Bible  a  special,  direct,  supernat-n 
ral,  and  infallible  revelation  ?  The  skirmish  is  now 
over,  and  the  battle  of  opposing  arguments  begins. 
Let  us  examine  with  carefulness  and  candor  what  the 
disputants  have  to  offer. 


14  THE  PRO  AND  CON  OF 


PART    II. 

Reviews  of  the  Arguments  in  favor  of  Supernatural 


1,  On  the  affirmative  it  is  urged  that '  'a  rtvelaiionfrom 
God  is  possible.''''  This  we  do  not  dispute.  "What  we 
deny  is  that  the  fact  of  a  thing  being  possible  with 
God  proves  that  the  thing  has  been  or  will  be  done. 
God  has  power  to  do  many  things  that  he  does  not  do. 
If  i  were  to  say  that  God  has  power  to  make  all  his 
creatures  happy,  therefore,  all  are,  or  will  be  happy, 
many  of  the  advocates  of  the  Bible  would  see  the 
fallacy  of  such  reasoning.  But  the  argument  is  just 
as  good  as  this  for  the  Bible. 

2.  ''Arecelat'wnfrom  God  is  desirable.^''  To  this  we 
reply.  First,  that  the  fact  of  a  thing  being  desirable 
is  no  proof  that  the  desire  will  be  gratified.  ]Men  have 
a  thousand  desires  that  are  not  granted.  There  are 
no  desires  more  universal  among  men  than  the  desire 
to  live  and  be  happy ;  and  yet  men  die  and  are  not 
perfectly  happy.  The  argument  in  favor  of  universal 
salvation,  founded  on  the  universal  desire  of  happi- 
ness, is  just  as  good  as  this  for  the  Bible.  Second, 
however  desirable  it  may  be  to  have  a  r<_^velation  from 
God,  that  fact  does  not  prove  that  the  revelation  would 
be  in  book  form,  nor  that  the  Bible  is  that  book.  We 
have  a  number  of  books  claiming  to  be  revelations, 
and  the  argument  is  just  as  good  in  favor  of  each  one 


SUPERNATUKAL   RELIGION.  .15 

of  them  as  it  is  for  the  Bible.  Besides,  a  book  revela- 
tion would  not  be  adapted  to  satisfy  the  desires  of 
only  a  small  portion  of  those  who  have  lived  in  the 
past,  inasmuch,  as  not  more  than  one  quarter  of  them 
could  read  it. 

3.  "^  revelation  from  God  is  necessa/ry."'  Necessary 
for  what  ?  "To  teach  us  the  existence  of  God,  of  a 
future  state  of  being,  and  the  principles  of  morality 
and  virtue,"  we  are  told.  But  all  these  were  known 
and  taught  by  men  who  never  saw  or  heard  of  the 
Bible.  If  a  revelation  was  necessary  at  all,  it  was 
just  as  necessary  for  one  man  as  another,  for  one  na- 
tion as  another.  But  nearly  all  knowledge  of  the 
Bible  «vas  for  thousands  of  years  confined  to  a  very 
small  minority  of  the  human  race.  The  believers  in 
several  books  claiming  to  be  revelations,  may  plead  in 
favor  of  each  the  necessity  of  it,  with  as  much  propri- 
ety and  force  as  that  plea  is  made  for  the  Bible. 

3.  ''The  truths  contained  in  tlie  Bible  prove  U  to  be  a 
revelation.^''  So  think  the  believers  in  other  books 
called  revelations,  and  the  argument  is  equally  conclu- 
sive for  each.  But  is  every  book  a  revelation  that 
contains  truth  ?  Then  the  vjorld  is  full  of  revela- 
tions. Common  sense  teaches  us  that  a  book  that 
teaclies  truth  is  hot  necessarily  a  revelation,  else 
Daboll's  arithmetic  is  as  perfect  a  revelation  as  God 
ever  made. 

5.  ''Tlie  100 uderful  Prophecies  contained  in  the  Bible 
are  conclusive  in  proof  of  its  divine  origin.^''  Most  of 
the  biblical  prophecies  are  general  in  their  nature, 
based  on  the  idea  of  retribution,  and  consisting  of 
promises  to  the  Jews,  of  prosperity  if  they  were  obe- 
dient, and  warnings  of  calamity  ia  case  of  disobedi- 
ence.    It  IS  the  easiest  thing  in  the  world  to  make  pre- 


16  TEra  PRO  AND  CON  OF 

dictions  iu  this  way,  and  to  have  them  verified  to  the 
very  letter.  True  prophecies,  also,  may  be  based  on 
our  knowledge  of  the  history  of  the  past,  of  the  laws 
of  nature,  and  the  law  of  cause  and  eflfect.  If  I  were 
to  predict  that  one  hundred  years  from  this  time  there 
would  be  wars  and  rumorc  of  wars,  that  mankind 
would  marry  and  be  given  in  marriage,  that  murders 
would  be  committed,  that  there  would  be  storms,  tem- 
pests and  earthquakes,  the  prediction  would  undoubt- 
edly be  verified  in  due  time.  Many  of  the  so-called 
prophecies  are  couched  in  vague,  indefinite  and  ob- 
scure language.  So  much  is  this  the  case,  that  they 
are  susceptible  of  a  great  variety  of  interpretations 
and  applications,  and  have  actually  been  applied  in  a 
hundred  difi"erent  ways.  Nothing  is  more  obscure  in 
he  Bible  than  its  supposed  prophecies.  No  argument 
based  on  them  is  therefore  of  any  force.  Besides,  we 
have  outside  of  the  Bible  many  prophecies  more  defi- 
nite, positive,  unmistakable  and  better  authenticated 
than  any  in  it.  It  is  generally  supposed  that  the  Old 
Testament  contains  a  number  of  prophecies  which  re- 
late to  Jesus  Christ.  I  hesitate  not  to  say  that  there 
is  not  one  that  can  be  proved  to  have  any  relation  to 
him  whatever. 

6.  '*  The  extraordinary  miracles  recorded  in  tlie  Bible 
p  ove  its  divinity. "  Is  every  book  that  contains  a  rec- 
ord of  miracles  a  divine  book  ?  If  so,  then  the  Ko- 
lun,  the  sacred  book  of  the  Hindoos,  Gulliver's  Trav- 
els, the  Arabian  Nights  Entertainment,  and  Jack  the 
Giant-Killer  must  be  divin  ■.  If  these  alleged  mira- 
cles could  be  proved,  the  argument  based  on  them 
would  have  force.  But  they  have  never  been  proved. 
The  authenticity  of  the  historical  portions  of  the  Bible 
has  not  been  proved,  and  to  undertake  to  prove  the 


SUPERNATURAL  RELIGION.  17 

miracles  by  the  Bible,  and  then  the  Bible  by  the  mir- 
acles, is  ouly  reasoning  in  a  circle,  a  mod«i  of  reason- 
iu2j  which  no  honest,  intelligent  man  will  adopt. 

7.  *'  The  good  infiaence  of  the  Bible  in  the  world  shows 
that  it  camej^rom  God.'"  That  the  influence  of  the 
Bible,  both  for  good  and  evil,  has  been  very  great  is 
true.  Its  good  influence  we  attribute  to  the  good  that 
we  admit  it  contains.  Its  bad  effects  we  charge  not 
so  much  to  its  errors  as  to  the  belief  in  its  infallibility. 
Were  it  not  for  this  belief,  its  errors  would  long  since 
have  been  discarded  and  all  its  good  retained,  without 
being  to  a  great  extent  neutralized  by  its  errors  and 
this  pernicious  belief.  Besides,  the  fact  that  a  book 
has  exerted  a  powerful  influence  in  the  world,  is  very 
far  from  proving  that  it  is  a  book  of  God.  The  influ- 
ence of  the  Bible  has  scarcely  been  greater  than  that 
of  the  Koran,  the  Veda,  or  the  Shaster,  but  none  of 
these  are  God's  book.  The  Bible  alone  is  not  a  suc- 
cessful civilizer  nor  moralizerof  men.  We  have  been 
trying  the  experiment  for  years.  We  have  sent  our 
Bibles  and  missionaries  into  every  barbarous  and  semi- 
barbarous  nation.  We  have  given  them  a  surfeit  of 
each.  At  last  the  discovery  has  been  made  that 
schools,  and  education  and  knowledge  of  science  and 
the  arts  are  as  efficacious  civilizers  as  the  Bible.  It 
is  true  the  Bible  and  civilization  in  modern  times  have 
accompanied  each  other.  But  in  ancient  times  civil- 
ization existed  in  places  where  the  Bible  was  unknown, 
and,  indeed,  before  it  had  an  existence.  It  is  also 
true  that  in  countries  the  most  civilized,  there  we  find 
the  greatest  number  of  unbelievers  in  the  infallibility 
of  the  Bible.  Civilization  is  to  a  great  extent  a  mat- 
ter of  climate,  race,  circumstances  and  condition. 
The  interior  races  of  men,  and  the  inhabitants  of  the 


18  THE  PRO   AND   CON   OP 

torrid  and  frigid  zones  never  attain  to  the  same  degree 
of  civilization  as  those  who  live  in  more  temperate 
climates. 

8.  "  The  character  of  the  men  who  icrote  the  Bible 
proves  it  to  he  an  inspired  hook.  They  were  etidently 
honest  men.,  and  they  claim  to  have  been  inspired.  If  we 
say  they  were  not^  ice  accuse  honest  meti  of  attempting  to 
deceive.''^  We  answer,  1.  Only  a  few  of  the  writers 
claim  to  have  been  inspired  as  writers.  None  of  the 
writers  of  the  New  Testament  make  this  claim  except 
the  author  of  the  book  of  Revelations.  Neither  Mat- 
thew, Mark,  Luke,  John,  Peter,  James,  nor  Paul 
claimed  any  authority  from  God  or  Christ  to  write 
what  they  did.  2.  It  is  quite  possible  for  honest  men 
to  suppose  themselves  to  be  inspired  when  they  are 
not.  Past  history  furnishes  numerous  examples  of 
this  kind.  To  question  their  inspiration  is  not  to 
question  their  honesty.  3.  "We  know  nothing  about 
the  character  of  the  biblical  writers,  for  we  do  not 
know  who  they  were.  This  we  shall  show  in  the 
proper  place. 

9.  ^''The  iiumerous  persons  who  hare  laid  down  their 
lives  and  become  martyrs  in  the  cause  of  the  Bible,  is  an 
evidence  in  its  favor.''''  If  all  the  men  in  the  world 
should  lay  down  their  lives  to  defend  a  falsehood,  it 
would  not  make  the  falsehood  true.  Every  form  of 
religion  has  had  its  martyrs,  and  almost  every  sect  in 
Christendom  has  had  them  too.  If  the  argument 
from  martyrdom  proves  anything,  it  proves  that  all 
forms  of  religion  are  true,  and  that  every  sect  in  the 
world  is  right.  The  argument  proves  too  much,  and 
is,  therefore,  good  for  nothing.  Martyrdom  proves 
only  the  honesty  of  the  martyr,  and  honest  men  are 
often  mistaken. 


SUPERNATURAL  RELIGION.  19 

10.  '^The  fact  that  the  Bible  is  accepted  by  so  many 
learned,  wine  and  good  men  is  much  in  its  favor ^  This 
argument,  like  the  preceding,  proves  too  much.  Many 
as  good  men  as  any  have  accepted  the  Bibles  of  other 
religions.  Some  as  good  as  the  best  have  rejected  the 
claims  to  a  supernatural  origin  of  them  all.  Of  course 
they  could  not  all  be  right,  therefore  their  respective 
beliefs  prove  nothing  in  regard  to  the  truth  or  falsity 
of  their  belief. 

11.  '■''The  steady  and  tenacious  beliej  of  the  Jews  in  the 
Old  Testament,  and  of  Christians  in  both  the  Old  and 
Neio  Testaments,  cannot  he  accounted  for  except  on  the 
supposition  that  the  events  recorded  in  them  actually  oc- 
curredS^  1.  Here  again  the  argument  proves  too 
much.  How  came  the  Greeks  and  Romans  and  other 
Pagan  nations  to  believe  in  the  wonders  and  prodigies 
recorded  in  their  mythology  ?  or  the  Hindoos  to  be- 
lieve in  the  Veda,  and  the  Mohammedans  in  the  Korant 
It  is  just  as  easy  to  account  for  the  belief  of  one  as 
the  other.  2.  We  have  seen  that  there  never  was  a 
uniform  and  universal  belief  among  tlie  Jews,  in  the 
divine  origin  of  their  sacred  books.  Throughout  the 
whole  period  of  their  history  unbelievers  were  found 
among  them,  and  at  times  a  majority  of  the  nation 
were  so.  The  same  is  true  of  the  belief  in  the  New 
Testament.  At  a  very  early  period  after  the  compila- 
tion of  that  book,  its  authority  was  questioned,  has 
been  questioned  ever  since,  and  is  being  questioned 
m'ore  and  more. 

12.  ''The  fact  that  a  belief  In  the  Bible  enables  its  pos- 
sessor to  die  in  peace,  and  in  the  comforting  assurance  of 
a  blissful  immortality  evinces  its  divine  origin.''^  1.  The 
argument  r  rwes  too  much  again.  How  dies  the  mor- 
al man  of  every  form  of  religion  and  of  every  sect  ? 


20  THE  PRO  AND  CON   OF 

Is  it  not  with  the  same  calmness  and  peace,  and  the 
same  comforting  hopes  ?  Does  this  prove  that  they 
are  all  right  in  their  belief  ?  Certainly  not,  but  only 
that  they  are  Tionest  in  their  belief.  The  manner  of 
one's  death  is  no  test  of  the  truth  or  falsity  of  his 
opinions,  but  only  of  the  sincerity  of  the  dying  man, 
and  the  strength  of  Tiis  conmctwris.  Some  of  the  great- 
est skeptics  have  met  death  with  as  much  courage, 
calmness  and  peace  as  was  ever  manifested  by  the 
strongest  believers  in  the  Bible.  2.  Nor  is  it  true  thai 
believers  in  the  Bible  always  die  in  peace.  Instances 
are  not  wanting  of  their  djing  in  the  agonies  of  uttei 
despair.  The  manner  of  one's  death  depends  very 
much  on  the  temperament,  disposition  and  organiza- 
tion of  the  individual,  the  nature  of  his  disease,  and 
whether  he  is  naturally  courageous  and  hopeful  or 
timid  and  fearful. 

13.  '■'The  fact  that  so  many  unbelievers  renounce  tJieir 
opinions,  and  hecorne  believers  when  they  come  to  die,  is 
proof  that  unbelief  is  icrong.''^  If  by  this  is  meant  that 
renunciation  of  unbelief  is  a  common  thing  among 
unbelievers,  we  deny  the  alleged  fact  That  some 
nominal  unbelievers  may  have  been  induced,  through 
undue  influences  brought  to  bear  upon  them,  when 
prostrated  in  body  and  mind,  to  renounce  opinions 
which  they  professed,  but  never  possessed,  is  un- 
doubtedly true.  But  in  all  such  cases  it  is  more  than 
probable  that  the  individuals  could  not  tell  the  diflfer- 
ence  between  belief  and  unbelief.  Besides,  is  a  dying 
hour  the  proper  time  to  investigate  and  decide  on  a 
question  which  requires  years  to  properly  investigate 
and  make  up  an  opinion  upon  ?  Seldom  do  intelli- 
gent men  change  opinions  which  are  well  defined  and 
understood  in  their  own  mind,  on  a  dying  bed.     The 


SUPERNATURAL  RELIGIOK.  21 

ignorant  and  superstitious  often  seem  to  do  so  •,  but, 
even  in  their  case,  it  is  not  true  as  relates  to  the  sub- 
ject before  us,  because,  on  that  subject  they  have  no 
opinions  that  are  worthy  of  the  name.  Much  secta- 
rain  capital  has  been  sought  to  be  made  out  of  these 
death-bed  renunciations  and  conversions,  by  sectarian 
propagandists  and  proselyters.  It  is  well  known  that 
early  impressions  on  the  mind  are  apt  to  be  the  most 
lasting,  and  to  be  uppermost  in  the  case  of  weak-mind- 
ed persons,  in  the  time  of  sickness  and  death.  Only 
a  comparative  few  among  men  can  rise  above  the  in- 
fluence of  early  education.  Priests,  knowing  this, 
take  advantage  of  this  weakness,  go  to  the  sick  and 
dying,  and,  by  appeals  to  their  superstitious  fears, 
representing  to  them  that  their  eternal  welfare  de- 
pends on  their  embracing  a  particular  creed,  easily 
gain  their  assent  to  it.  In  this  way  Catholic  converts 
to  Protestantism  are  often  converted  back  again,  and 
Heathen  proselytes  to  Christianity  recovered  back  to 
Paganism.  Could  anything  be  more  disreputable, 
more  beneath  the  dignity  of  sensible  men,  or  more 
deserving  of  the  scorn  of  mankind  ? 

14  "TA€  style  and  language  of  Vie  Bible  is  so  beautiful^ 
its  sentiments  so  sublime,  its  picture  of  the  life  and  char- 
acter of  CJwisi  80  much  transcends  the  efforts  of  human 
genius,  n-nd  ike  lofiied  flights  of  any  man's  ideality,  as  to 
provp.  ihat  '  must  have  had  a  divine  origin^  This  is 
prc<  i  ly  vhat  is  said  by  Hindoos  and  Mohammedans 
about  liicir  Bibles.  The  Mohammedan  can  find  in  no 
book  so  much  beauty  and  sublimity,  both  of  style  and 
sentiment,  as  in  the  Koran.  He  bases  an  argument 
on  this  for  its  divine  inspiration,  and  with  as  much 
sincerity  as  it  is  urged  in  favor  of  the  Bible.  Now 
what  are  the  facts  ?    The  style  of  the  Koran  is  mis- 


22  THE  PRO   AND  CON   OF 

erably  poor  and  mean,  so  is  that  of  much  of  the  Bible. 

The  Koran  contains  some  as  correct  and  grand  ideas 
about  God  and  religion,  as  are  found  anywhere  in  the 
Bible.  So  does  the  Veda  of  the  Hindoos.  If  the 
sublime  passages  in  the  Bible  prove  its  divinity,  what 
do  its  low,  mean  passages  prove  ?  There  is  more  or 
less  of  imagination  connected  with  the  belief  in 
Bibles,  as  is  evinced  by  the  fact  that  the  believers  in 
each  one  of  them  claim  that  the  one  which  they  pos- 
sess is  by  far  the  superior  of  all  the  rest.  The  follow- 
ers of  the  great  founders  of  religious  systems  in  the 
world  are  infected  with  the  same  imagination.  Man- 
kind are  prone  to  hero  worship.  They  invest  their 
heroes  with  every  quality  and  attribute  that  they  have 
power  to  conceive  of.  Just  as  the  young  lover  invests 
the  lady  of  his  love  with  the  attributes  of  an  angel, 
and  supposes  her  to  be  something  more  than  human. 
For  hundreds  of  years  the  greatest  genius  of  man  has 
been  employed  in  picturing  to  the  mind  an  ideal  Christ. 
This  ideal  has  been  impressed  on  the  minds  of  men. 
They  go  to  the  New  Testament  expecting  to  find  it 
there,  and  they  find  what  they  seek  for.  Henry  Ward 
Bcecher  has  written  a  "Life  of  Christ,"  but  it  is  not 
his  life  as  recorded  in  the  New  Testament:  it  is 
Beecher's  ideal  of  his  jiie.  Aside  from  the  miracles 
attributed  to  Christ  in  the  New  Testament,  we  can 
see  nothing  that  involves  the  idea  of  the  supernatural 
in  his  history. 

15.  ''''The  Bible  is  rejected  only  by  bad  men,  and  all  op- 
position to  it  proceeds  from  hatred  to  God,  to  religion  and 
to  truth.'"  This  argument,  if  it  is  deserving  of  that 
name,  is  scarcely  entitled  to  a  reply.  It  impeaches  the 
character  of  every  man  who  denies  the  divine  origin 
of  the  Bible,  and  is  therefore  a  direct  iusult  to  them. 


SUTERNATURAL  RELIGION.  23 

Were  it  not  that  it  is  contained  in  so  many  books,  and 
put  forward  in  so  many  thousands  of  pulpits,  I  should 
treat  it  with  the  silence  and  scorn  that  it  deserves. 
The  fact  that  such  an  argument  should  be  used  by 
those  who  employ  it,  may  be  made  the  basis  of  a 
scathing  objection  to  the  belief  it  is  adduced  to  sus- 
tain, and  will  be  in  the  proper  place.  Let  i-  suflBce  for 
the  present  for  me  to  say,  that  the  alleged  fact  on 
which  it  rests  we  utterly  deny.  That  there  are  some 
bad  men  who  reject  the  popular  belief  concerning  the 
Bible,  we  admit.  So  there  are  bad  men  who  are 
staunch  believers  in  the  authority  of  the  Bible.  The 
most  ignorant  portion  of  community,  the  criminals  of 
the  country,  the  inmates  of  our  jails  and  prisons  are 
generally  professed  believers  in  superuatuialism  and 
the  Bible.  Attempts  have  been  made  to  blacken  the 
character  of  some  prominent  men  who  have  been 
found  in  the  ranks  of  the  unbelievers.  The  memory 
of  Thomas  Paine  and  YoHaire  has  been  assailed  with 
all  sorts  of  misrepresentation,  vituperation  and  abuse. 
And  for  what  ?  Why,  simply  because  they  did  not 
believe  in  the  divine  authority  of  priest  or  book,  and 
had  the  courage  to  openly  avow  their  opinions.  We 
uo  not  claim  tliat  these  men  were  saints.  But  we  do 
claim  that,  whatever  their  character  can  be  proved  to 
have  been,  we  can  point  to  worse  ones  in  the  ranks  of 
those  who  held  exactly  opposite  opinions.  Voltaire 
saw  in  the  degradation  of  the  French  people,  the 
effect  of  the  influence  of  a  corrupt  Church  and  Priest- 
hood, which  claimed  divine  authority  for  their  exist- 
ence, and  appealed  to  the  Bible  to  prove  it.  He 
sought  to  emancipate  the  people  from  this  cruel  men- 
tal bondage  by  striking  at  the  cause  which  produced 
it.     Thomas  Paine  was  a  lover  of  liberty.     To  this 


24  THE  PRO   AND   CON   OP 

noble  cause  he  devoted  up  his  labors  and  his  talents. 
After  having  assisted  materially  in  establishing  liberty 
in  America,  he  sought  to  effect  a  revolution  in  Eng- 
land. He  found  the  whole  power  of  the  Church  and 
Clergy  arrayed  against  liberty.  He  saw  that  what 
gave  the  clerg}'  their  influence  over  the  people  was  the 
belief  of  the  people  in  the  authority  of  the  Bible. 
To  remove  this  obstacle  to  human  progress  out  of  the 
way,  he  struck  at  what  he  believed  to  be  the  root  of 
this  tree  of  evil.  His  celebrated  work,  "The  Age  of 
Reason,"  was  a  perfect  bomb-shell  in  the  camp  of  the 
Clergy  ;  it  gave  them  serious  alarm,  they  have  never 
forgiven  him  ;  from  that  day  till  now,  he  has  been 
one  of  the  best  abused  men  that  ever  appeared  in  the 
world.  The  strong  common  sense  and  keen  wit  of 
Paine,  and  the  caustic,  biting  sarcasm  and  irony  of 
Yoliaire  was  seriously  annoying  to  the  defenders  of 
the  faith  ;  and  as  they  could  not  spike  their  guns, 
they  sought  to  destroy  their  influence  by  ruining  their 
reputation.  But  what  had  the  character  of  these  men 
to  do  with  the  truth  or  falsity  of  their  opinions? 
Even  bad  men  may  tell  the  truth,  and  the  best  of  men 
are  liable  to  be  mistaken. 

16.  ''The  renKirkohU  converskn  of  Paul  cannot  be  ac- 
counted for  only  on  the  svpposition  that  the  supernatur- 
alism  of  the  Bible  is  true.'''  Paul  was  a  Jew.  He  was 
thoroughly  educated  in  the  faith  of  Judaism.  He  be- 
longed to  the  strictest  of  the  Jewish  sects,  and  was  a 
strong  believer  in  the  marvelous  and  supernatural. 
He  possessed  aa  ardent,  excitable  temperament,  and 
was  a  Jewish  zealot.  He  was  violently  opposed  to  the 
new  Christian  sect,  and  went  forth  armed  "VNith  au- 
thority from  the  ecclesiastical  power  in  Jerusalem  to 
hunt  the  Christians  to  prison  and  to  death.     On  be- 


SUPERNATURAL  RELIGION.  25 

coming  better  acquainted  with  them,  he  found  they 
were  peacable,  quiet,  well  dis;posed  and  harmless. 
He  began  to  relent ;  all  the  coDScientiousness  and 
kindness  of  his  noble  nature  was  roused  into  action. 
He  began  to  have  serious  doubts  in  regard  to  the  pro- 
priety of  the  course  he  was  pursuing',  and  as  is  often 
the  case  with  men  when  under  the  influence  of  pow- 
erful excitement,  they  run  to  an  extreme  in  one  direc- 
tion, when  the  rebound  comes,  they  go  to  an  extreme 
the  other  way  ;.so  Paul,  from  being  a  mad  zealot  of 
Judaism,  became  an  enthusiastic  Christian.  He  first 
endured  the  Christians,  then  pitied  them,  and  then 
embraced  their  cause.  On  his  way  to  Damascus, 
some  natural  phenomenon  occurred — probably  a  flash 
of  lightning  and  clap  of  thunder,  which  struck  him 
to  the  ground,  gave  him  a  shock,  and  threw  him  into 
a  trance.  In  this  condition  he  had  a  vision,  but  his 
vision  was  made  up  of  such  material  as  dreams  are 
made  of.  He  thought  he  saw  Christ,  and  heard  him 
speak  to  him,  just  as  we  see  our  friends  and  converse 
with  them  in  our  dreams.  Paul  interpreted  the  phe- 
nomenon subjectively,  and  in  accordance  with  his  pre- 
conceived opinions  in  regard  to  supernaturalism.  He 
believed  it  was  a  special  interposition  of  Providence — 
a  very  innocent  mistake,  and  o  ic  that  has  been  made 
by  thousands  of  men.  Tiie  c  inversion  of  Paul,  then, 
is  HO  more  remarkable  than  those  which  are  occurring 
every  day,  of  Catholics  to  Protestantism,  and  ^ice 
vei'sa,  and  of  men  from  one  sect  to  another. 

17.  "The  great  cloud  of  living  witnesses  hy  loJiose  tes- 
timony tJie  Bible  is  sustained,  is  proof  of  its  claims. " 
Who  are  those  witnesses,  and  what  are  they  ?  "  The 
sixty  thousand  clergymen  of  this  country,  and  the 
hundreds  of  thousands  in  all  parts  of  the  civilized 


26  THE  PKO  AIJD   CON   OF 

world,  together  with  the  multitude  of  laymen  belong- 
ing to  the  numerous  Christian  sects,"  you  may  say. 
But  the  clergy,  are  they  competent  witnesses  ?  Are 
they  disinterested  ?  Have  they  no  interest  at  stake, 
no  sectarian,  no  personal,  selfish  ends  to  serve  ?  Every 
one  of  them  is  pledged  by  solemn  covenant  to  main- 
tain the  validity  of  the  Bible,  and  on  doing  so,  his 
living  depends.  Not  to  do  so,  is  to  incur  the  penalty 
of  ecclesiastical  and  social  ostracism,  and  the  censure 
and  condemnation  of  the  entire  Christian  world. 
AVould  we  believe  witnesses  in  a  court  of  justice,  who 
had  such  interests  as  these  staked  on  the  issue  of  the 
trial  ?  And  the  laymen,  what  do  they  know  about 
the  origin  and  history  of  the  Bible,  and  the  validity 
of  its  claims  ?  Not  one  in  fifty  can  give  an  intelligi- 
ble account  of  what  he  believes  or  why  he  believes  it. 
Are  the  results  of  calm  inquiry,  oi  deliberate  investi- 
gation, of  disinterested  criticism  to  be  set  aside  on 
such  testimony  as  this  ?    I  leave  you  to  answer. 

18.  ''The  remarkable  preservaiion  of  tlie  Bible,  espec- 
ially of  ilie  Old  Testament,  through  all  the  viciasitudes 
of  the  history  of  the  Jewish  people,  proves  that  a  special 
providential  care  was  exercised  over  it,  and  this  implies 
tJie  divine  authorship  of  it.'"'  The  Jewish  Scriptures 
could  be  read  only  by  a  very  lew  of  the  common  peo- 
ple. They  were  in  the  hands  of  the  priests,  to  whom 
th^  care  of  them  was  committed.  On  them  they  reli- 
ed for  theii'  authority  as  priests  of  the  Jewish  religion. 
What  more  natural  than  that  they  should  preserve 
them  with  the  utmost  care,  and  transmit  them  to  their 
successors  ?  But  notwithstanding  all  that  has  been 
claimed  in  regard  to  the  scrupulousness  of  the  Jews 
in  preserving  their  sacred  books,  and  in  preventing 
any  corruption  of  them,  it  is  a  fact  well  known  to  all 


SUPERNATURAL  RELIGION.  27 

Biblical  students,  that  some  of  tlieir  books  were  lost, 
and  that  the  inviolability  of  the  text  of  those  now  in 
existence,  has  not  been  preserved.  The  manuscripts 
now  remaining  do  not  agree,  they  contain  additions, 
omissions,  alterations  and  mistakes. 

19.  '■'TTie  fact  that  there  is  so  much  in  the  Bible  that 
'corresponds  with  the  religious  experience  of  all  religious 
persons^  is  proof  of  its  divine  origin.^''  Human  nature 
is  the  same  in  all  men  in  all  ages  and  countries.  The 
religious  experience  of  all  men  who  are  intensely  re- 
ligious, is  essentially  the  same.  It  is  no  marvel,  then, 
that  there  should  be  found  in  the  religious  books  of 
the  Jews  expressions  of  feelings,  sentiments  and  ideas 
corresponding  to  those  which  are  experienced  and  ex- 
pressed at  the  present  day.  It  is  just  what  we  would 
naturally  expect,  and  if  it  were  not  so,  it  would  in- 
deed be  a  wonder. 

20.  ''''The  believer  in  tTie  Bible  7ms  tlie  '"witness  of  the 
Spirit,'*  a  special  revelation  from  God,  assuring  him  th/it 
the  Bible  is  infallible  in  its  teachings.'*''  Allowing  this  to 
be  so,  such  proof  can  be  evidence  only  to  those  who 
have  it,  and  involves  the  absurdity  of  supposing  that 
a  revelation  from  God  is  not  suflficient  without  anoth- 
er revelation  to  confirm  it.  To  the  unbeliever  such 
an  assertion  is  proof  only  of  delusion  or  deception  on 
the  part  of  him  who  makes  it.  It  is  much  easier  to 
believe  that  he  is  deluded  or  means  to  deceive,  than  it 
is  to  believe  that  God  has  sanctioned  a  book  as  infal- 
lible which  he  knows,  by  incontrovertible  proof,  to 
contain  mistakes,  errors  and  untruths.  Besides,  some 
of  the  adherents  of  all  the  diflerent  Bibles  and  creeds 
under  heaven  claim  to  have  the  same  evidence  jn  fa- 
vor of  their  respective  books  and  creeds.  Can  it  be 
believed  that  God  reveals  to  the  Mahommedau  that 


28  THE  PRO  AI^D  CON  OP 

the  Koran  is  infallible,  to  the  Hindoo  that  the  Yeda  is 
so,  to  the  Parsee  that  the  Sh  aster  is,  and  to  the  Chris- 
tian that  the  Bible  is  so  too  ?  Is  it  reasonable  to  be- 
lieve that  God  makes  a  special  revelation  to  the  Cal- 
vinist  to  convince  him  that  Calvinism  is  true,  to  the 
Arminian  to  convict  him  of  the  truth  of  Arminian- 
ism,  and  the  Universalist  to  persuade  him  of  the  truth 
of  Uuiversalism  ?  Is  it  not  possible  that  the  strong 
conviction  of  the  believers  in  the  Bible  in  the  truth 
of  religion  is  mistaken  by  them  for  a  strong  convic- 
tion of  the  infallibility  of  the  book  in  which  the  prin- 
ciples of  religion  are  taught  ?  But  religion  is  taught 
in  many  books,  but  this  does  not  prove  them  to  be 
divine  books  in  the  sense  that  the  Bible  is  supposed  to 
be  a  divine  book. 

21.  ''The  dmine  authoi^ity  and  infallibility  of  tJie  Bible 
is  attested  by  miracles.''''  But  how  are  we  to  know  that 
the  alleged  miracles  were  wrought  ?  "  Because  the 
Bible  says  so,"  we  are  told.  Here  is  an  attempt  to 
prove  the  Bible  true  by  miracles,  and  the  miracles  by 
the  Bible.  If  a  man  were  to  assert  that  he  had  wrought 
a  miracle,  and  when  asked  for  the  proof,  should  say 
it  was  true  because  he  said  it,  would  we  accept  that 
as  proof  ?  If  not,  then  why  should  we  do  it  in  the 
other  case  ?  Is  not  this  argument  just  as  good  for  the 
Catholic  as  it  is  for  the  Protestant  ?  The  Catholic  at- 
tempts to  prove  the  infallibility  of  the  Church  by  mir- 
acles and  the  miracles  by  the  Church.  Such  reason- 
ing is  futile  and  childish,  such  as  full-grown  men 
ought  to  be  ashamed  of,  and  yet  many  theologians 
employ  it  seemingly  without  ever  seeing  its  utter  fu- 
tility and  inconclusiveness.  The  ancient  miracles 
could  not  be  a  witness  for  the  Old  Testament,  for,  be- 
fore the  canon  of  that  book  was  settled,  miracles  had 


SUPERNATURAL  RELIGION.  29 

ceased  in  the  Jewish  Church.  The  Christian  mira- 
cles could  not  attest  the  New  Testament,  for,  long  be- 
fore the  canon  of  that  book  was  settled,  miracles  had 
ceased  in  the  Christian  Church. 


30  THE  PRO  AND  CON  OP 


PART      III. 

Statement  of  the  Arguments  against  Supernatural    Be- 
ligion. 

Let  us  now  look  at  the  iirgunients  on  the  negative 
side  of  this  question.  But  first  we  will  state  our  posi- 
tion, showiuff  what  it  is  ru)t,  and  also  wTtut  it  is. 

Our  position  is  not,  that  the  Bible  is  a  tissue  of 
falsehoods,  and,  therefore,  ought  to  be  suppressed,  It 
is  not  that  it  does  not  contain  much  valuable  instruc- 
tion. We  regard  it  as  we  regard  all  other  natural 
gifts  of  God,  as  useful,  if  properly  used,  as  destruct- 
ive if  misused.  There  is  no  gift  of  God  that  is  not 
liable  to  be  perverted  and  abused.  Even  the  religious 
faculties  of  man  may  be  misdirected  and  perverteti, 
as  they  often  are.  Our  position  is  not  against  the 
Bible,  as  a  book,  but  against  the  belief  in  it  as  an  au- 
thoritative book,  by  which  our  religious  opinions  are 
to  be  tested  and  tried. 

The  be. levers  in  the  divine  origin  of  the  Bible  as 
sert  that  it  is  a  special  revelation  from  God,  the  de- 
sign of  which  is  to  impart  to  mankind  a  knowledge 
of  true  religion,  and  also  of  God's  plan  and  method 
of  saving  men  from  sin,  and  securing  their  happiness 
in  a  future  state  of  being.     From  all  this  we  dissent. 

1.  Our  first  argument  on  tlie  negative  is,  tluii  tlie  idea 
of  8uch  a  retelation  is  conJbrary  to  all  analogy.  On  all 
other  subjects  pertaining  to  the  interest  and  happiness 


bUPKlCNA'l  Ux^aL.   religion.  31 

of  man,  God  has  left  tliem  to  the  guidance  and  direc- 
tion of  their  natural  powers.  He  has  given  us  no 
revelation  to  teach  us  the  arts  or  the  truths  of  science. 
No  revelations  on  the  subject  of  agriculture,  medi- 
cine, diet,  laws  of  life  and  health,  anatomy,  physiology, 
astronomy,  etc.  Why  then  should  it  be  supposed 
necessary  on  the  subject  of  religion  ? 

2.  Such  a  revelation  is  not  desirable^  because  it  would 
not  be  beneficial.  The  mind,  like  the  body,  requires 
exercise.  On  it  both  depend  for  health,  activity  and 
strength.  If  God  had  provided  a  great  store-house  of 
food  and  clothing  all  ready  for  our  use  whenever  our 
wants  required,  and  we  had  nothing  to  do  but  to  go 
to  the  fountain  and  get  our  supplies,  the  effect  would 
be  to  completely  demoralize  the  human  race.  We 
should  soon  become  lazy,  idle  and  indolent.  No  im- 
provement or  progress  would  be  made.  In  like  man- 
ner, if  God  had  provided  a  book,  containing  aU  the 
religious  and  moral  truth  necessary  for  us  to  know, 
and  we  had  only  to  go  there  and  find  it,  the  same  dis- 
astrous efiects  would  be  produced  on  the  minds  of 
men.  All  inquiry  and  investigation  would  be  useless, 
we  should  sink  into  apathy,  inactivity  and  ultimate 
imbecility. 

3.  The  Bible  has  Twt  accomplisJied  what  its  believers  sup- 
pose it  was  designed  to  effect.  It  does  n/)t  impa/rt  to  the 
minds  of  those  wlio  accept  ity  uniform  informaiion.  In- 
stead of  uniting  men  in  opinion,  it  has  driven  them 
farther  apart.  Instead  of  lessening  the  number  of 
conflicting  opinions,  it  has  increased  them.  It  has  in- 
creased rather  than  diminished  the  number  of  warring 
sects.  It  has ,  not  made  men  more  tolerant  toward 
each  other,  but  more  intolerant;  no  more  charitable, 
but  less  so.    It  has  not  diminished  wars  in  the  earth. 


33  THE  PRO   AND   CON  OF 

but  very  greatly  added  to  the  number.  It  has  not 
made  men  less  cruel,  but  ii.ore  savage,  sanguinary  and 
inhuman. 

4.  The  effect  that  the  belief  in  the  auihoHty  of  the  Bible 
has,  on  those  who  believe  it,  shows  that  it  is  erroneous. 
Many  of  them  suppose  that,  as  the  Bible  is  a  flnality, 
God's  last  word  to  man,  no  more  truth  is  needed,  no 
further  progress  is  to  be  made,  no  further  discoveries 
are  desirable.  Hence  they  sink  down  into  utter  inac- 
tivity and  stupidity  of  mind.  This  belief,  too,  engen- 
ders a  spirit  the  very  opposite  of  that  of  religion.  It 
makes  men  bigoted,  uncharitable,  conceited,  dog- 
matic, dictatorial  and  tyrannical.  They  assume  that 
they  are  certainly  right,  and  that  all  who  do  not  agree 
VHth  them  are  as  certainly  in  the  wrong.  They  cannot 
be  mistaken,  for,  do  they  not  beheve  just  what  God 
has  spoken,  and  is  not  what  he  has  spoken  true  ? 
They  seem  to  imbibe  a  spirit  of  enmity  against  all 
who  do  not  agree  with  them  in  opinion.  Nothing  of- 
fends them  so  much  as  to  have  the  correctness  of  their 
opinions  questioned ;  and  whoever  does  so,  they  are 
ready  to  pronounce  an  unregenerate  sinner,  a  hater  of 
God  and  religion.  We  do  not  say  that  it  has  this  ef- 
fect upon  all ;  we  cheerfully  admit  that  even  many 
are  too  good  by  nature,  to  be  materally  injured  by  it. 
But  we  do  say  that  this  has  been,  and  is  its  general 
tendency  in  the  world.  And  this  fact  we  urge  as  an 
evidence  that  the  belief  is  wrong. 

5.  The  fact  that  the  Bible  is  'oery  obscure  in  its  teach- 
ings, is  an  evidence  against  it.  We  known  that  it  is 
often  claimed  that  it  is  perfectly  clear  and  plain  in  its 
inculcations,  so  much  so  as  that  "  even  a  fool  need  not 
err  therein."  Every  man  thoroughly  acquainted  with 
it,  knows  better.     Even  the  book  itself  admits  that 


SUPERNATURAL  RELIGION.  83 

there  are  some  things  in  it  "hard  to  understood." 
Bishop  Watson,  when  asked  what  the  doctrines  of 
Christianity  were,  replied,  "it  is  mucli  easier  to  tell 
where  they  are,  than  what  they  are."  This  was  a  can- 
did confession,  remarkable  as  coming  from  a  defend- 
er of  the  faith.  If  we  ask  the  believers  in  the  Bible, 
what  is  Christianity,  we  shall  get  a  thousand  different 
answers,  and  each  one  who  answers  will  confidently 
appeal  to  the  Bible  to  prove  that  he  is  right.  These 
conflicting  opinions,  too,  are  held  by  men  of  equal 
learning,  talents  and  piety.  How  obscure  must  be  the 
teachings  of  a  book  from  which  such  conflicting  sys- 
tems of  theology  can  be  deduced,  as  Calvinism,  Ar- 
minianism  and  Universal  ism  ?  The  Bible  has  been 
invoked  to  prove  an  astonishing  variety  and  number 
of  opposite  opinions,  such  as  no  other  book  has  since 
the  world  began.  Among  them  are  the  following ; 
That  God  is  a  being  of  love,  and  that  he  is  a  God  of 
vengeance ;  that  man  is  by  nature  totally  depraved, 
and  that  his  nature  is  divine  ;  that  there  is  ^  personal 
Devil,  and  that  there  is  not ;  that  Christ  was  God,  and 
that  he  was  no  more  than  man  ;  that  he  was  a  super- 
angelic  being,  and  was  not ;  that  he  existed  before 
his  appearance  on  earth,  and  that  he  did  not ;  that 
Christ  died  to  appease  God's  wrath  toward  his  crea- 
tures, and  that  he  died  to  commend  his  love  to  them  ; 
that  Christ  made  an  atonement  for  the  sins  of  men, 
and  that  no  sin  can  go  unpunished  ;  that  only  a  few 
of  mankind  will  be  saved,  and  that  all  will  be.  These, 
to  be  sure,  are  mainly  doctrinal  points,  but  even  on 
the  subject  of  practical  morality  and  religion,  the  be- 
lievers in  the  Bible  are  no  better  agreed  than  other 
men.  They  appeal  to  the  book  to  prove  that  slavery 
is  right,  and  that  it  is  wrong  ;  that  to  use  intoxicating 


34  THE  PRO  AND   CON  OP 

drinks  is  right,  and  that  to  do  so  is  a  crime  ;  that  pol- 
ygamy and  concubinage  are  no  sins,  and  that  they  are 
exceedingly  sinful ;  that  it  is  the  duty  of  Christians 
to  observe  one  day  in  seven  as  peculiarly  sacred,  and 
that  it  is  not ;  that  all  Christians  ought  to  be  baptized, 
and  that  none  should  be ;  that  a  part  of  religion  con- 
sists in  the  observance  ot  forms,  ceremonies  and  or- 
dinances, and  that  it  is  perfectly  form-free,  and  en- 
joins the  observance  of  no  set  forms  whatever.  Xow 
to  say  that  such  a  book  constitutes  an  infallible  guide 
for  the  children  of  men,  is  as  preposterous  os  to  assert 
hat  the  sun  shines  at  midnight. 

6.  '■'TJie  Bible  may  be  appealed  to,  and  often  is,  to  sanc- 
tion the  worst  of  vices  and  enormities.  Hatred  of  ene- 
mies; did  not  David  boast  that  he  hated  his  enemies 
with  "perfect  hatred"?  Did  he  not  denounce  upon 
them  the  most  grievous  curses  ?  Does  not  God  hate 
those  who  hate  him,  and  can  it  be  wrong  to  imitate 
his  example?  Plurality  of  tc  ires;  was  not  poly  gam}^ 
tolerated  among  the  Jews?  Keeping  of  mistresses ; 
did  not  holy  men  of  old  have  their  concubines  ?  JRe- 
taliation  and  revenge;  does  not  God  avenge  himself  on 
his  enemies  ?  and  was  npt  the  Levitical  law  founded 
on  the  principle  of  rendering  evil  for  evil  ?  Slavery; 
was  it  not  sanctioned  by  Moses  ?  Slaughtering  of  pris- 
oners taken  in  zcar,  and  even  of  women  arid  ch'''dren; 
did  not  God  command  his  people  to  do  it,  and  did  not 
the  holy  prophet  Samuel,  set  an  example  of  this  kind, 
by  hewing  Agag  in  pieces  "  before  the  Lord  ?"  Cheat- 
ing; did  not  Jacob's  father-in-law  cheat  him,  and  did 
not  Jacob  pay  him  off  in  his  own  coin  ?  Lying;  did 
not  God  command  it  on  a  certain  day  ?  Deception; 
was  not  Samuel  directed  by  the  Lord  to  practice  it  ? 
Treuchery;  4i4  »ot  Bahab  pretend  to  afford  protectiori 


BUPERNATURAL  RELIGION.  85 

to  a  man  who  was  fleeing  from  his  enemies,  and  then 
betray  and  rob  him  of  his  life  ?  and  is  she  not  com- 
mended for  her  faith  ?  Was  not  Jacob  treacherous 
to  his  own  brother,  in  taking  advantage  of  his  neces- 
sities, and  robbing  him  of  his  birthright  ?  and  also  to 
his  own  father,  in  procuring  from  him  the  blessing 
which  he  designed  for  Esau  ?  Intolerance;  does  not 
the  Bible  everywhere  demand  belief  of  men  as  the 
first  and  indispensable  requisite,  apparently,  without 
regard  to  proofs  and  evidences  ?  and  did  not  Paul  pro- 
nounce curses  on  all  who  did  not  believe  his  Gospel  ? 
Persecution;  were  not  the  Jews  commanded  to  destroy 
all  the  inhabitants  of  Canaan  who  would  not  adopt 
their  religion  ? 

It  may  be  said  that  most  of  these  practices  are  con- 
demned in  the  New  Testament.  So  they  are,  but  the 
New  Testament  is  a  part  of  the  Bible,  and  the  fact 
named  only  shows  the  conflicting  nature  of  the  teach- 
ings of  that  book.  Many  of  the  men  who  practiced 
the  vices  above  named,  are  even  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment, held  up  to  view  as  exceptionally  pious,  holy 
and  worthy  men  ;  how  can  it  be  expected  that  believ- 
ers in  the  divine  authority  of  the  Bible  can  escape  the 
contagion  of  their  example? 

7.  "ijr  it  was  necessary  for  God  to  make  a  revelation 
to  his  creatures  in  book  form,  it  is  but  reasonable  to  be- 
lieve tJiat  lie  would  protect  it  in  such  a  manner  as  that  his 
design  in  giving  it  could  not  be  defeated.  But  such  is  not 
the  COM  with  the  Bible. ^''  A  book  containing  a  revela- 
tion, and  designed  to  be  transmitted  to  future  genera- 
tions throughout  all  time,  should  be  accompanied 
with  external  and  internal  evidences  so  overwhelming 
as  to  command  tlie  assent  of  every  one  that  examined 
its  claims.    If  it  w&s  in  manuscript  writings,  and  r^- 


36  THE  PRO   A^'D   CON   OP 

quired  to  be  copied  frequeutly,  if  it  was  written  in 
one  language,  and  translated  into  a  number  of  others, 
the  same  being  who  communicated  it  at  ^rst,  fehould 
superintend  the  copying  and  translation  of  it  in  such 
a  way  as  to  prevent  all  mistakes.  We  should  know 
who  the  original  writers  were,  when  it  was  written, 
and  in  what  place.  We  ought  to  know  when  it  was 
translated,  and  by  whom.  In  fine,  we  ought  to  have 
a  well-authenticated  account  of  its  origin  and  history. 
The  Bible  lacks  every  one  of  these  essential  requisites. 
The  history  of  no  book  in  the  world  is  involved  in 
more  obscenity  than  that.  Except  the  writings  of 
Paul,  we  do  not  know  when  the  books  of  the  Bible 
were  written,  the  particular  place  where,  the  time 
when,  nor  the  persons  by  whom.  But  there  are  some 
things  we  do  know  about  it,  and  what  we  do  know  is 
very  much  against  it  as  a  revelation. 

The  Old  Testament  is  a  collection  of  books  which 
the  Jews  during  some  periods  of  their  history  deem- 
ed sacred  ;  at  otlier  times  the}'  did  not  so  regard  them. 
The  Kew  Testament  is  a  collection  of  books  whicl; 
were  written  some  time  during  the  first  and  second 
centuries  of  the  Christian  era.  They  were  selected 
from  a  great  number  of  similar  books  in  about  the 
third  century.  Before  their  collection  and  after,  they, 
and  many  others  beside,  were  accepted  as  inspired. 
The  Old  and  New  Testaments  were  written  in  lan- 
guages which  have  ceased  to  be  spoken.  The  books 
of  the  Bible  existed  for  man}- years  in  manuscripts 
onl}',  and  have  been  frequently  copied.  Our  English 
translation  was  made,  not  fjom  the  original  manu- 
scripts, but  from  copies  ,of  them,  not  one  of  which, 
of  the  Old  Testament,  was  older  than  the  ninth  cen- 
tury of  the  Christian  era,  and  not  one  of  the  New 


SUPERNATURAL  RELIGION.  87 

older  than  the  sixth.  The  different  copies  of  these 
manuscripts  vary  considerably  from  each  other.  There 
has  been  various  translations  of  the  Bible  into  the 
English  language,  no  two  of  which  are  exactly  alike. 
Dr.  Bellamy  made  a  translation,  which  made  some 
important  passages  say  exactly  the  reverse  of  what 
they  are  made  to  say  in  the  common  English  version. 
It  is  universally  admitted  by  the  learned  that  the 
copyists  did  make  mistakes  in  the  copying,  that  the 
translators  did  make  mistakes  in  translating,  and 
many  of  them  admit  that  the  collectors  of  the  books 
made  mistakes  in  selecting.  It  is  also  admitted  that 
the  copies  from  which  our  Bible  was  translated  con- 
tained passages  which  were  not  in  the  original  text. 
Our  version,  then,  contains  interpolations,  mistrans- 
lations and  supplied  words.  The  division  of  it  into 
chapters  and  verses,  the  supplied  words,  the  heading 
in  the  upper  margin  of  the  pages,  and  over  the  chap- 
ters, the  copying,  the  collecting  and  translation,  is  all 
the  work  of  fallible  men,  for  whom  no  divine  guid- 
ance is  claimed.  Is  this  the  care  God  exercises  over 
his  revelation  ?  If  he  thinks  no  more  of  it  than  this, 
why  should  we  concern  ourselves  about  it  ? 

The  belief  in  the  BihU  as  a  revelation,  is  calculated  to 
perpetuate  some  of  the,  most  degrading  superstitions.  Most 
of  its  believers  understand  it  to  teach  the  existence  of 
a  Devil,  with  his  millions  of  kindred  and  subordinate 
evil  spirits,  disputing  with  the  Almighty  the  throne  of 
the  Universe,  and  exerting  a  malign  intluence  over  the 
hearts  and  minds  of  men.  The  tendency  of  this  be- 
lief is  to  induce  men  to  keep  a  sharp  lookout  for  this 
imaginary  fiend,  to  the  entire  neglect  of  the  real 
Devil  that  every  man  carries  about  with  him  in  his 
heart.     The  Bible,  too,  is  understood  to  sanction  the 


88  THE  PRO  A1;D  con  OP 

belief  in  necromancy,  fortune-telling,  witchcraft, 
sorcery,  magic,  special  providences,  and  that  diseases 
both  of  mind  and  body  are  produced  by  evil  spirits. 
What  wonder  is  it,  then,  that  so  many  are  led  astray 
by  the  lying  wonders  of  Matthias,  and  Joe  Smiths, 
of  the  present  day  ?  What  hope  can  there  be  for  the 
improvement  of  men  who  believe  that  the  affairs  of 
this  life,  the  events  which  take  place  in  the  world,  and 
the  phenomena  of  nature,  are  all  the  results  of  a 
special  providence,  without  regard  to  order  or  the 
natural  sequence  of  cause  and  effect  ?  Certainly 
none;  for,  according  to  this  view  there  can  be  no  such 
thing  as  science  in  any  department  of  nature;  in  other 
words,  the  fact  that  a  phenomena  occurred  to-day,  is 
no  proof  that  it  ever  occurred  before,  or  ever  will 
again.  Hence,  those  who  hold  this  view  are  full  of 
the  belief  in  the  marvelous  ;  are  continually  talking 
about  special  providences  either  in  their  favor,  or 
against  them  ;  are  constantly  dodging  some  miracu- 
lous thunderbolt  from  heaven,  or  anticipacing  some 
supernatural  interposition  in  their  behalf.  It  is  not 
a  real  world  in  which  they  live,  but  one  wholly  ideal 
and  imaginary.  Solid  truth,  the  facts  of  science,  a 
knowledge  of  nature  and  her  laws,  has  for  them  no 
interest,  and  possesses  for  them  no  charms.  Until 
this  spell  on  the  minds  of  otherwise  intelligent  men  is 
broken,  how  can  they  be  emancipated  from  the  bonds 
of  superstition  ? 

9.  Tim  helUf  in  the  amthority  of  the  Bible  blinds  and 
hewUders  the  minds  of  men.  The  Bible  contains  a 
record  of  prodigies  the  most  astounding  ;  of  marvels 
the  most  wonderful,  of  miracles  the  most  marvelous, 
and  statements  the  most  incredible.  Hence,  it  con- 
flicts with  common  sense,  shocks  our  credulity,  and 


SUPERNATURAT-   RELIGION.  39 

does  violence  to  our  reasou.  The  man  who  believes 
it  is  put  in  a  mental  condition  to  believe  almost  any- 
thing. All  power  to  distinguish  between  things 
reasonable  and  unreasonable,  credible  and  incredible, 
is  overcome.  He  believes,  not  on  evidence,  but  on 
authority  alone;  he  does  not  dictate  his  own  belief, 
but  has  it  dictated  to  him.  Like  the  young  of  birds, 
he  opens  his  mouth  and  swallows  whatever  is  given 
him  without  reference  to  its  quality.  They  are  in  the 
situation  of  the  clergyman,  who,  in  defending  the 
Bible,  said,  *'  the  Bible  says  that  a  whale  swallowed 
Jonah,  and  I  believe  it,  and  if  it  said  that  Jonah 
swallowed  the  whale  I  would  believe  that. "  Now, 
truth  is  the  natural  food  of  the  mind,  as  bread  is  of 
the  body;  and  truth  must  be  as  wisely  adapted  to  the 
powers  and  faculties  of  the  mind,  as  food  is  to  the 
taste,  and  digestive  powers  of  the  body.  Food  that 
is  distasteful  and  indigestible,  is  unwholesome,  so  that 
the  mental  and  moral  diet,  that  violates  our  reason, 
shocks  our  moral  sense,  and  wounds  the  best  affections 
of  our  nature,  must  be  spurious.  There  are  thousands 
of  good  men  and  women  who  profess  to  believe  in 
things  which  they  admit  look  to  them  unreasonable, 
and  shocking  to  their  feelings  ;  but,  nevertheless,  they 
feel  obligated  to  believe  as  they  do,  on  the  sole  au- 
thority of  the  Bible.  Such  persons  are  the  miserable 
victims  of  a  mental  and  moral  tyranny  that  demands 
the  best  efforts  of  the  best  men  to  overthrow. 

10.  '''■The  great  argument  usually  employed  to  make 
converts  to  the  belief  in  the  Bible,  not  only  betrays  a  want 
of  confidence  in  it,  orv  the  part  of  tlwse  who  use  it,  but  it 
constitutes  aground  of  objection  to  it,^^  The  principal 
argument  usually  relied  on  to  propagate  this  belief  in 
the  world  is  that  which  is  by  far  the  most  successful, 


40  THE  PRO  AND   CON  OP 

and  leaves  us  with  but  one  alternative.  It  is  this, 
''Believe,  or  be  damned."  Thousands  of  persons 
who  are  as  ignorant  of  the  history  and  origin  of  the 
Bible  as  the  veriest  heathen  on  earth,  will  go  into  the 
pulpit  and  proclaim  to  their  hearers  doctrines  the 
most  shocking  to  reason  and  common  sense,  and  when 
asked  for  the  evidence  of  their  truth,  will  tell  us  that 
"God  is  the  authority  for  their  truth."  "When  asked 
how  we  are  to  know  that,  the  answer  will  be,  "they  are 
taught  in  the  Bible — which  is  God's  word — and- we 
must  accept  them  or  be  damned."  Could  arrogance 
and  presumption  go  farther  than  this  ?  Here  it  is  as- 
sumed not  onlj--  that  the  Bible  is  an  infallible  book, 
but  that  they  correctly  understand  a  book  which 
thousands  have  attempted  to  explain,  no  two  of  whom 
ever  agreed  in  its  interpretation.  Is  this  the  way  to 
treat  rational  beings  ?  Can  such  persons  know  any- 
thing about  the  science  of  mind  ?  Have  they  the 
least  conception  of  the  necessary  connection  between 
evidence  and  belief  ?  Do  they  not  proceed  on  the 
supposition  that  rational  belief  can  be  induced  by 
bribes  and  threats  ?  Or  if  they  are  not  ignorant  of 
the  fact  that  a  sufficient  amount  of  evidence  will  irre- 
sistibly produce  conviction  on  the  mind,  and  that  to 
undertake  to  gain  the  assent  of  men  to  the  truth  of 
any  doctrine  b}^  bribes  and  threats,  is  only  to  try  to 
make  them  hypocrites,  and  mental  and  moral  cowards 
and  Rlaves  ;  then,  we  ask,  are  they  not  the  greatest 
mountebanks  that  ever  "played  fantastic  tricks  be- 
fore high  heaven,"  and  do  they  not  insult  the  under- 
standing of  man  ?  Do  the  teachfers  of  scientific  truth 
first  give  their  lesson,  and  then  offer  rewards  to  those 
who  believe  their  inculcations,  and  threaten  punish- 
uient  to  those  who  do  not  ?    Are  they  alarmed  when 


SUPERNATURAL  RELIGION.  41 

the  truthfulness  of  their  teachings  is  questioned,  and 
do  they  threaten  with  the  judgments  of  God  and  the 
wrath  of  heaven  all  who  doubt  or  disbelieve  them  ? 
If  not,  why  is  it  any  more  necessary  to  do  so  to  en- 
force religious  truth  than  any  other  kind  of  truth  ? 
If  teachers  in  any  other  department  of  knowledge 
were  to  proceed  in  this  way,  they  would  very  soon  be 
destitute  of  pupils,  and  it  is  certainly  a  marvel  how 
intelligent  men  can  put  themselves  under  the  teach- 
ing of  men  who  are  constantly  insulting  them.  If 
such  teachers  do  not  know  any  better,  they  are  enti- 
tled to  our  pity;  if  they  do  know  better,  they  are 
more  entitled  to  our  pity  still,  but  the  course  they  pur- 
sue is  deserving  only  of  the  scorn  and  contempt  of 
mankind.  Persons  who  are  conscious  they  have  truth 
to  ofier,  and  believe  they  can  present  an  abundance  of 
evidence  to  sustain  it,  will  not  fool  away  their  time  by 
resorting  to  arts  and  tricks,  nor  promises,  nor  threats  in 
order  to  commend  it  to  their  hearers.  The  fact,  then, 
that  religious  teachers  do  resort  to  these  means  is  proof 
that  they  have  not  entire  confidence  in  the  truth  of 
their  doctrines,  and  that  having  no  hope  of  producing 
conviction  on  the  minds  of  men  by  evidence,  they  rely 
on  appeals  to  their  superstitious  fears.  The  fact,  too, 
that  there  is  such  alarm  in  their  ranks  whenever  the 
bulwark  behind  which  they  have  entrenched  them- 
selves is  assailed,  is  proo^  that  they  doubt  the  impreg- 
nability of  their  position.  The  man  who  is  afraid  of 
Truth,  or  fears  that  she  cannot  take  care  of  herself,  or 
that  it  is  not  for  the  interest  of  the  people  to  know 
the  whole  truth,  is  a  traitor  to  God,  to  truth,  and  to 
man. . 

As  to  the  religious  and  moral  truths  taught  in  the 
New  Testament,   such  as  the  existence  of  God,  his 


42  THE  PRO  A2fD   CON  OF 

fatherhood,  the  brotherhood  of  the  race,  the  immor- 
tality of  man  and  the  golden  rule,  they  need  no  con- 
tirmation  from  miracles,  from  books  nor  from  men. 
They  are  their  own  authority  and  their  own  proof. 
They  have  the  "witness  of  the  spirit,"  and  "the 
spirit  is  given  to  every  man  to  profit  with  all."  All 
forms  of  religion  contain  the  elements  of  one  univers- 
al religion.  The  dogma  it  is  that  has  set  man  at  war 
with  man.  More  religion  and  less  dogma  the  great 
want  of  humanity. 

Eeader,  both  sides  are  before  you,  judge  ye  what  is 
rio-ht. 


SUPKUiSATLKAl.   KiiLlGION. 


PART    IV. 

Pa/rticular  Remarks  on  the  Supernatural  Origin  of  Chris- 
tianity, and  Statement  of  the  Views  of  nationalists 
on  Inspiration^  JRevelation^  and  Beligion. 

The  Epistles  usually  attributed  to  Paul  are  his  gen- 
uine writings,  except  that  to  the  Hebrews.  This  lat- 
ter was  written  by  some  learned  Jew,  who  was  a  con- 
vert to  Christianity.  The  authors  of  these  epistles 
were  to  a  great  extent  the  real  founders  of  Christian- 
ity, i.  e.,  in  the  form  in  which  it  exists  in  the  creeds  of 
the  various  Christian  sects.  The  doctrines  of  these 
creeds  are  based  more  on  these  epistles  (not  always 
correctly  interpreted,  to  be  sure),  than  on  the  teach- 
ings of  Christ  recorded  in  the  four  Gospels.  To 
these  epistles  we  are  indebted  for  the  origin  of  the 
doctrines  of  the  Fall,  Original  Sin,  Total  Depravity, 
Predestination,  Election  and  Reprobation,  Miraculous 
Change  of  Nature,  Vicarious  Atonement  and  Univer- 
sal Salvation,  by  Christ. 

The  difficulty  to  account  for  the  origin  of  Christian- 
ity, without  supposing  it  to  have  been  established  by 
supernatural  and  miraculous  means  I  fully  appreciate. 
The  problem  was  to  me  a  puzzle  and  a  mystery  for 
years.  It  was  only  after  long  and  diligent  research 
and  investigation,  that  I  was  able  to  arrive  at  a  satis- 
factory conclusion.  I  have  been  abundantly  reward- 
ed for  my  pains.    It  is  now  clear  to  me  that  it  is  no 


44  THE  PRO  AND  CON  OP 

more  difficult  to  account  for  the  origin  of  Christianity 
than  for  the  origin  of  Brahminism  in  India,  Confu- 
cianism in  China,  Parseeism  in  Persia,  Mohammedan- 
ism in  Turkey,  or  Mormonism  in  the  United  Slates. 

We  will  state  what  are  the  main  facts  bearing  on 
the  question,  and  the  conclusions  to  be  deduced  from 
these  facts.  Modern  criticism  has  proved,  so  far  as 
the  nature  of  the  case  admits  of  proof, 

1.  That  the  five  books  of  the  Old  Testament,  com- 
monly attributed  to  Moses,  were  not  written  by  him, 
but  were  compiled  hundreds  of  years  after  his  death, 
partly  from  some  fragments  left  by  him  and  others, 
and  partly  from  oral  tradition. 

2.  The  other  books  of  the  Old  Testament  are  made 
up  of  partly  genuine,  and  partly  spurious  writings. 

3.  The  Gospels  were  not  written  by  the  Evangelists 
to  whom  they  are  ascribed — i.  e.,  in  the  form  in  which 
we  now  have  them — but  were  compiled  after  the  death 
of  their  reported  authors,  partly  from  records  left  by 
them,  to  which  many  additions  were  made  derived 
from  oral  tradition. 

4.  Notwithstanding,  the  Bible  contains  many  valua- 
ble and  important  truths,  noble  and  sublime  senti- 
ments, excelleuL  moral  precepts  and  many  beauties, 
we  are  not  w^arranted  to  believe  that  they  had  any 
other  than  a  perfectly  natural  origin. 

5.  The  numerous  mistakes,  errors,  contradictions, 
inconsistencies  and  absurdities  contained  in  the  Bible, 
justify  us  in  believing  that  it  is  not  an  infallible  stand- 
ard of  truth,  not  authoritative  in  its  teachings,  not  the 
product  of  supernatural  inspiration,  and  that  nothing 
is  to  be  believed  simply  because  it  is  taught  in  that 
book. 

6.  The  several  books  of  the  Old  and  New  Testament 


SUPERNATURAL  RELIGION.  45 

were  compiled,  collected  and  published  in  two  separ- 
ate volumes  by  fallible  men,  who  acted  without  any 
direct  divine  sanction  or  authority. 

7.  Christianity  is  not  a  supernaturally  revealed  and 
inspired  religion,  miraculously  authenticated,  but  is  a 
natural  product  of  the  human  mind  ;  the  result  of  long 
ages  of  progress  and  development  of  religious  thought 
and  ideas. 

Without  doubt  many  of  the  marvelous  stories  re- 
corded in  the  Bible  had  a  historic  basis,  but  they  were 
not  recorded  at  the  time  the  events  are  said  to  have 
occurred,  but  long  after,  and  at  a  lime  when  the  orig- 
inal facts  had  become  greatly  exaggerated.  The  com- 
piler and  writer  believed  them  to  be  true,  and  they 
obtained  ready  evidence  among  a  people  who  were 
very  ignorant,  very  credulous,  full  of  the  belief  in 
supernaturalism,  and  ready  to  endorse  anything  that 
tended  to  glorify  their  nation  or  their  religion. 

Nevertheless,  there  is  in  the  books  both  of  the  Old 
and  New  Testaments  quite  an  element  of  pious  fraud 
and  imposition.  Almost  all  history  is  written  in  the 
interest  of  a  nation,  party  or  sect,  Bible  history  not 
excepted.  A  comparison  of  the  books  of  kings  and 
chronicles,  shows  that  the  latter  was  written  in  the 
interest  of  the  kingdom  of  Judah,  and  with  a  view  to 
glorify  David  the  great  Thecesatic  king.  Hence,  it 
omits  all  mention  of  some  of  the  worst  acts  of  David, 
and  represents  him  to  have  been  a  peculiar  and  excep- 
tional favorite  of  heaven.  The  book  of  kings  is  far 
more  candid  and  impartial,  and  tells  the  wliole  truth 
about  the  personal  character  of  David  and  the  doings 
of  his  kingdom.  Between  these  two  books  there  are 
other  conflicting  statements  which  no  ingenuity  has 
succeeded  in  reconciling. 


46  THE  PKO  AITD  CON  OP 

The  gospels — however*  blind  some  may  be  to  the 
fact — ^bear  internal  evidence  of  having  been  written  in 
a  partizan  spirit  and  with  a  polemic  aim.  The  first 
and  third  gospels  especially,  were  written  to  prove 
that  Christ  was  the  true  Jewish  Messiah.  To  prove 
this,  they  relied  mainly  on  establishing  that  he  poss- 
essed miraculous  powers.  Hence,  they  exaggerated 
purely  natural  occurencies  into  miracles,  and  collected 
and  recorded  all  the  wild  and  extravagant  legends 
that  had  descended  to  their  day  and  with  which  the 
air  was  filled.  In  order  to  make  it  appear  that  Christ 
answered  to  the  description  of  the  Jewish  Messiah 
contained  in  the  Old  Testament,  who,  it  was  supposed, 
must  be  a  descendant  of  David,  they  related  the  silly, 
ridiculous  and  absurd  legend  relating  to  his  miracu- 
lous birth  ;  a  story  which  defeats  its  own  object,  inas- 
much, as  if  it  proves  anything,  it  is,  that  he  was  in 
nowise  a  blood  relation  of  that  personage.  Besides, 
the  legend  is  self  contradictory,  and  contains  many 
genealogical  mistakes  and  errors.  In  order  to  prove 
that  he  was  a  subject  of  prophecy,  they  quote  and 
apply  to  him  passages  which  have  no  more  relation  to 
him  than  to  Josephus,  or  any  other  man  conspicuous 
in  Jewish  history  of  that  time. 

The  fourth  gospel  was  written  to  prove  not  only 
that  Christ  was  Messiah,  but  that  he  had  a  pre-exist- 
ence  and  answered  to  the  Logos  of  Plato.  It  is  the 
production  of  an  Alexandrine  Christian,  who  sought 
to  blend  the  philosophy  of  Plato  with  Christianity, 
and  thereby  commend  it  to  the  favor  of  the  Pagan 
.philosophers.  This  book,  the  writings  of  Paul,  and 
the  epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  constitute  the  first  great 
departure  from  the  simplicity  of  the  teachings  of 
Christ,  which  finally  culminated  i»  the  ^tablishmwt 


SUrERNAT[7RAL  RELIGION.  47 

of  that  particular  form  of  Christianity  known  as 
Catholicism.  Let  it  be  remembered  that  at  the  time 
when  these  books  were  written  it  was  an  almost  uni- 
versally received  maxim,  that  it  was  ris^ht  to  lie  for 
the  truth,  and  to  deceive  those  who  require  to  be 
deceived.  Nothing  was  more  common  than  to  forge 
books  and  ascribe  their  authorship  to  distinguished 
persons  in  order  to  give  them  authority  among  the 
common  people.  We  may  state,  also,  that  of  all  the 
miracles  recorded  in  the  Bible  not. one  was  ever  sub- 
mitted to  a  scientific  test. 

The  early  history  of  every  nation  is  a  mixture  of 
truth  and  falsehood,  fact  and  fiction,  legend  and  tra- 
dition. Even  our  own  early  history  is  by  no  means 
entirely  destitute  of  the  mythologic  element.  How 
much  more  is  this  true  of  Jewish  history  and  of  the 
history  oflChristianity  ? 

The  whole  superstructure  of  supernatural  Christian- 
ity is  made  to  rest  by  Paul  on  the  fact  of  the  resur- 
rection of  Christ  from  the  dead.  Now,  that  this  al- 
leged fact  is  intrinsically  improbable  no  one  will 
deny.  It  ought,  then  to  be  sustained  by  the  most  un- 
impeachable testimony,  the  most  indubitable  evi- 
dence ;  but  we  liave  not  the  direct  testimony  of  a 
single  eye  witness  of  the  event.  Not  one  of  the  New 
Testament  writers  says  he  was  present  and  saw  him 
rise.  The  four  different  accounts  of  the  affair  are 
conflicting.  The  only  points  in  which  they  agree, 
are:  first,  that  Christ's  body  was  laid  in  the  tomb  of 
a  man  who  was  a  friend  to  him ;  and  second,  that 
when  the  tomb  was  visited  on  Sunday  morning  the 
body  was  not  there  ;  both  of  wliich  statements  we  can 
very  readily  believe,  without  supposing  that  the  body 
was  dea^  wheu  placed  there,  or  that  a  mau  who  ww 


48  THE  PKO  AlsD  CON   OF 

really  dead  had  been  restored  to  life.  It  is  much 
easier  to  believe  that  the  body  was  in  a  state  of  swoon, 
from  which  it  was  restored  and  afterwards  released 
from  the  tomb  ;  or,  that  if  dead,  the  body  was  taken 
away  by  secret  friends  and  kept  out  of  sight.  We  have 
plenty  of  witnesses  who  say  ''he  was  seen  alive'"  after 
his  crucifixion ;  but  not  one  who  says,  Isaw  him,  except 
Paul,  and  he  only  in  a  vision.  I  need  not  say  that 
such  testimony  is  not  within  the  rules  of  evidence, 
nor  that  it  would  not  be  admitted  to  prove  anything 
in  a  court  of  justice,  especially  so  astounding  an  oc- 
currence as  the  resurrection  of  a  dead  man  to  life  and 
his  subsequent  ascension  into  heaven. 

There  is  much  better  evidence  to  prove  that  mira- 
cles equally  astounding  as  any  recorded  in  the  Bible, 
were  wrought  in  the  second,  third  and  fourth  centu- 
ries of  the  Christian  era.  For,  in  the  latter  case,  we 
have  the  testimony  of  hundreds  of  persons,  and  among 
them,  no  less  than  nine  Bishops  of  the  Church  who 
affirm  in  the  most  solemn  manner  that  they  saw  these 
miracles  wrought.  And  even  in  our  own  day — if  we 
can  credit  human  testimony  on  this  subject — the  world 
is  full  of  miracles.  In  our  own  country — the  most  en- 
lightened in  the  world — within  the  past  half  century, 
we  have  seen  a  Matthias  pursuading  otherwise  intelli- 
gent men  to  -believe,  not  only  that  he  was  a  prophet 
of  the  Lord,  but  that  he  was  the  very  and  eternal  God 
himself.  "We  have  witnessed  the  rise  of  a  sect  of 
Religionists  who  have  sent  their  apostles  to  every 
civilized  nation  on  the  globe  ;  making  converts  in 
each,  and  basing  their  claims  mainly  on  the  possession 
of  miraculoiLS  powers.  We  have  seen  another  sect 
arise,  claiming,  not  miraculous  powers  to  be  sure,  but 
extraordinary  gifts  of  healing,  prophecy,  inspiration, 


SUPERNATURAL  RELIGION.  49 

direct  revelation,  etc.,  and  they  have  made  more  con- 
verts in  thirty  years  than  Christianity  did  in  three 
centuries.  The  power  to  work  miracles  has  always 
been  claimed  by  the  Catholic  Church,  and  the  same 
claim  is  made  by  the  Mormon  Church.  We  have  the 
testimony  under  oath  of  living  men  who  certify  that 
they  were  eye  witnesses  of  the  miracles  said  to  have 
been  wrought  by  Joe  Smith,  the  founder  of  the  Mor- 
mon Church.  And  that  Church,  too,  claims  to  have 
a  book  containino;  a  supernatural  and  miraculous  rev- 
elation from  God.  If  such  things  can  be  in  this  age 
of  the  world,  what  might  not  have  been  done  eighteen 
hundred  years  ago  ? 

But,  we  shall  be  told — as  we  have  been  thousands  of 
times — that  to  the  Bible  we  are  indebted  for  onr  civil- 
ization, retinementof  manners,  elevation  of  character, 
and  for  the  progress  of  science  and  the  arts.  I  greatly 
marvel  that  an  argument  for  the  supernatural  origin 
of  the  Bible,  should  be  based  on  this  ground.  The 
facts  do  not  sustain  it.  Civilization  existed  before  the 
Bible  was  known.  The  Hebrew  Bible  did  not  elevate 
the  Jews  in  the  scale  of  civilization  above  the  Pagan 
nations  around  them  did  not  make  them  any  less  cruel, 
treacherous  nor  inhuman;  nor  any  more  honest  or 
faithful.  It  did  not  preventthem  from  carrying  on  a  war 
of  invasion  against  the  inhabitants  of  Canaan, and  on  the 
plea  that  they  were  Idolators,  and  therefore,  abhored 
of  God,  making  an  indiscriminate  slaughter  of  all  who 
would  not  submit  to  their  authority  and  give  up  to 
them  their  possessions.  It  did  not  prevent  a  civil  war 
among  them,  nor  the  establishment  of  two  separate 
kingdoms,  between  which  an  almost  incessant  war  was 
carried  on  for  hundreds  of  years.  It  did  not  hinder 
them  from  siding  with  the  priests  in  their  antagonism 


50  ^  THE  PRO   A^JD  CON  OF 

to  the  prophets,  nor  from  persecuting  these,  the  best 
men ot  their  nation  "from  city  to  city."  In  spite  of 
the  Bible,  they  set  up  in  both  kingdoms  that  very 
idolatry  which  they  came  there  ostensibly  to  destroy. 
It  did  not  save  them  from  being  proved  haughty, 
dictatorial,  exclusive  and  domineering ;  nor  did  its 
influence  stay  the  hand  of  vengeance  against  Jesus 
Christ,  the  greatest  living  teacher  of  his  time. 

In  our  time,  to  the  Hebrew  Bible,  we  have  super- 
added the  Christian  Bible,  the  latter  supposed  to  be 
an  improvement  on  the  other.  Both  are  bound  in  the 
same  volume  and  we  have  the  influence  of  both.  We 
shall  speak  of  it  as  one.  That  its  influence  has  been 
salutary  in  many  respects  we  very  cheerfully  grant ; 
but  we  claim  that  this  is  owing  not  to  its  being  accep  t- 
ed  as  a  supernatural  revelation,  but  to  the  plain, 
practical,  and  common  sense  moral  truths  which  it 
contains.  It  is  these  that  give  it  its  vitality  and  its 
hold  on  the  veneration  and  love  of  mankind.  It  is 
these  that  have  saved  it  from  oblivion.  Instead  of  its 
having  been  a  great  instrument  in  promoting  science 
and  civilization,  the  car  of  human  progress  has  rolled 
on,  and  science  and  civilization  have  prospered  in  spite 
of  its  influence.  Scarcely  a  scientific  truth  has  been 
discovered,  or  a  reform  proposed  that  has  not  been 
opposed  by  the  whole  weight  and  power  of  the 
Church,  which  is  the  depository  of  the  Bible.  The 
Church  opposed  the  doctrines  of  modern  astronomers 
and  geologists  and  philosophers,  until  the  advanced 
opinions  of  the  people  compelled  it  to  relax  some- 
what. In  the  incipient  stages  of  the  temperance  and 
anti-slavely  reforms,  the  Churcn  arrayed  itself  against 
them.  And  how  is  it  with  Christian  nations  as  com- 
pared with  others  not  Christian  ?    Are  they  any  more 


etJPERNATUKAL  RELIGION.      .  51 

f.iithful  to  tiieir  treaties  than  the  Turks  ?  Any  more 
peaceable  than  the  Chinese,  the  Japanese,  or  the 
Hindoos  ?  I  hesitate  not  to  say,  that  in  all  the  records 
of  knavery  and  cruelty  we  shall  search  in  vain  to  find 
a  parallel  to  the  frauds,  cruelties,  inhumanities  and 
enormities  that  have  been  perpetrated  by  men  who 
professed  to  receive  the  Bible  as  a  revelation  from 
God,  and  to  be  guided  by  its  precepts.  Witness  the 
treachery  to  his  own  kindred,  the  fratricidal  and  mat- 
ricidal  murders  of  Constantine,  the  first  Christian 
emperor,  whose  private  character  was  even  worse 
than  that  of  Caligula  or  Nero.  Kemember  the  per- 
secutions of  each  other  of  the  two  great  branches  of 
the  Church,  viz  :  the  Catholic  and  Protestant,  carried 
on  for  years  and  involving  the  destruction  of  millions 
of  human  lives.  Think  of  the  horrors  of  the  massacre 
on  St.  Bartholomew's  day.  Call  to  mind  the  history 
of  the  Inquisition,  that  terrible  engine  of  destruction 
which  existed  during  five  centuries  ;  during  which 
every  possible  engine  of  torture  that  ingenuity  could 
invent,  was  employed  to  inflict  sufiering  and  death  on 
the  bodies  and  minds  of  innocent  persons.  Recollect 
the  thirty  years  religious  wars  in  Germany,  the  nu- 
merous wars  that  have  been  carried  on  in  Europe  by 
the  Christian  kings  and  princes  of  that  country  ;  no- 
tice the  treatment  of  the  natives  of  this  country  by 
their  Christian  conquerors,  the  stupenduous  frauds 
that  were  practised  upon  them,  and  the  vices  that 
were  introduced  among  them ;  see  the  Christian 
government  of  England  deriving  a  large  revenue  from 
India  by  taxing  the  inhabitants  for  the  privilege  of 
worshiping  Jugernaut ;  see  her  send  her  mission- 
aries of  the  gospel,  and  her  men  of  war  into  the  ports 
of  China  compelling  the  inhabitants  to  accept  her 


52  THE  PRO  AND   CON  OF 

migsionaries  and  buy  her  opium,  under  the  penalty 
of  having  their  cities  bombarded  and  their  lives  de- 
stroyed by  the  murderous  cannon.  Look  now  to  our 
country  and  reflect  on  our  late  war,  carried  on  by 
fellow-Christians  and  fellow-countrymen.  How  terri- 
ble the  conflict,  how  fierce  the  combatants,  what  woe, 
what  sorrow,  what  desolation,  what  destruction  of 
property  and  life  ;  and  yet  the  two  contending  parties 
were  cheered  on,  and  sometimes  led  by  men  who, 
not  only  believed  in  the  Bible,  but  professed  to  be  the 
ordained  teachers  of  the  gospel  of  the  Prince  of  Peace, 
whose  mission  to  our  world  they  admitted  to  be  a 
mission  of  peace  and  good  will  to  men.  Instances 
have  been  known  of  clergymen  appealing  to  the  Bible 
to  sanction  the  greatest  of  outrages,  even  the  seduction 
of  youth  and  innocence. 

When  I  reflect  on  the  crimes  against  humanity,  I 
am  led  to  exclaim,  are  these  the  actions  of  men,  or  is 
the  idea  true  that  infernais  have  assumed  the  shape 
and  appeared  in  the  guise  of  men  ?  Where,  in  all  the 
history  of  the  world,  is  there  a  parallel  to  these  enor- 
mities ?  Do  the  Pagan  nations  persecute,  destroy  and 
war  with  each  other  on  account  of  their  religion  ? 
Do  men  of  science,  philosophers,  and  so  called  Infi- 
dels war  upon  each  other  on  account  of  their  difler- 
ences  of  opinion  ?  But  if  they  do  not,  why  not  ? 
Simply,  because  tliey  do  not  believe  that  the  interest 
of  religion  can  be  promoted  by  striking  down  the 
liberty  of  thought  and  speech,  and  the  right  of  every 
human  being  to  believe  whatever  approves  itself  to  his 
judgment.  They  are  the  friends  of  free  toleration, 
Freethought,  free  investigation,  free  discussion  and 
the  liberty  of  the  human  mind. 

The  believers  in  Bible  supernaturalism  claim — as 


SUPERNATURAL  RELIGION.  53 

all  supernaturalists  claim — that  they  have  a  God- 
ordained  priesthood,  whose  function  it  is,  by  precept 
and  example,  to  lead  men  to  the  practice  of  every 
virtue.  But  what  has  been  the  history  of  priests  in 
all  countries  and  in  all  ages  ?  Are  they  exempt  from 
the  vices  against  which  they  declaim  ?  Are  they  any 
less  selfish,  mercenary  lovers  of  the  good  things  of 
this  world  and  of  the  indulgence  of  their  passions 
than  the  average  of  other  men  ?  I  shrink  from  the 
task  of  detailing  the  horrors  of  their  record.  I  hesitate 
not  to  say  that  no  class  of  educated  professional  men 
but  what  can  show  a  cleaner  record.  The  labors,  in- 
vestigations, discoveries  and  disclosures  of  lawyers, 
physicians  and  scientists  have  been  of  incalculable 
benefit  to  the  world.  But  the  priests,  what  have  they 
done  ?  They  have  filled  the  world  with  piles  on  piles 
of  books,  pamphlets  and  tracts,  filled  with  the  silliest 
nonsense  and  trash.  Priestcraft  and  kingcraft  are 
twin  brothers,  they  act  in  harmony  and  concert  togeth- 
er ;  they  have  filled  the  world  with  carnage  and  blood 
ever  since  the  organization  of  human  society  ;  they  have 
robbed  men  by  confisication  of  more  property  than  all 
other  robbers ;  filched  more  money  out  of  mens' 
pockets  by  frauds  in  dealing  in  the  relics  and  rotten 
bones  of  saints  and  martyrs  than  all  other  thieves ; 
caused  more  human  suffering  and  tears,  made  more 
widows  and  orphans  than  all  other  human  causes 
combined  ;  they  have  inflicted  more  tortures  than  all 
other  savages,  and  destroyed  more  lives  than  all  other 
murderers.  The  Jewish  priesthood  began  with  Aaron, 
who  manufactured  an  idol  in  the  shape  of  a  golden 
calf  for  the  people  to  worship,  and  then  told  a  delib- 
erate falsehood  in  order  to  hide  his  iniquity.  It  ended 
in  the  crucifixion  of  Clirist.     The  example  Oi  Aaron 


54  THE  PRO  AlsD   CON  OF 

ha8  been  imitated  by  multitudes  of  his  successors;  the 
priests  were  denounced  and  their  time-serving  policy- 
exposed  by  the  prophets,  and  in  their  official  capacity 
they  -were  scorned  and  condemned  by  the  teacher, 
Ciirist.  Everywhere  they  have  proved  themselves  to 
be  tyrants  over  the  human  mind,  intolerant,  opposed 
to  human  progress,  unless  in  the  direction  marked 
out  by  them,  and  dealing  out  damnation  to  every  one 
who  dares  to  dissent  from  their  opinions,  or  question 
their  authority.  In  fine,  they  have  in  some  instances 
' '  exalted  themselves  above  all  that  can  be  called  God 
or  is  worshiped,"  and  in  other  cases  assumed  to  be  the 
vicegerents  of  God  on  earth,  the  only  medium  through 
which  God's  blessings  could  flow  to  mankind. 

It  is  in  no  carping  spirit  that  these  statements  are 
made,  nor  with  any  desire  to  slander,  abuse  or  wound 
a  single  human  being.  These  are  not  the  sayings  of 
a  mad  man.  Sincerely  do  I  wish  that  I  could  say  in 
all  honesty  and  truth,  that  the)'  are  false ;  but  they 
are  truths,  every  one,  and  being  so,  are  necessary  to 
my  argument.  I  now  appeal  to  the  reader,  and  ask 
him  to  lay  his  hand  upon  his  heart  and  answer 
nie.  Have  we  not  a  right  to  expect  from  a  people 
claiming  a  God-given  revelation,  constituting  an  in- 
fallible guide,  a  God-ordained  Church,  and  a  God- 
appointed  ministry  better  things  than  these  ?  Do  not 
the  facts,  then,  prove  that  the  arrogant  claims  and 
pretensions  of  these  men  ought  to  be  discarded  by 
every  rational  man  ? 

I  may  be  asked  if  I  thus  impeach  all  of  the  clergy  ? 
By  no  means  ;  God  forbid  that  I  should  make  so  false 
and  foolish  a  charge.  No,  the  question  has  two  sides, 
and  I  have  been  speaking  on  one  side  only  and  in 
general  terms,     I  am  by  no  means  insensible  to  the 


SUPERNATURAL  RELIGION.  65 

fact  that  there  are  among  the  believers  in  supernatu- 
ralism,  both  of  the  clergy  and  laity,  some  as  good  men 
as  ever  existed  ;  some  of  them  I  number  on  my  list  of 
choicest  friends,  around  whom  are  entwined  my 
heart's  best  affections.  To  the  credit  and  honor  of 
human  nature  I  am  glad  and  proud  to  say  that  the 
priesthood  and  the  Church  have  produced  many  as 
uoble  specimens  of  humanity  as  ever  dignified  and 
adorned  our  race  ;  men  as  wise,  as  great,  and  good  as 
any  other  ;  But  what  I  claim  is  that  they  are  not  good 
because  they  believe  as  they  do,  but  they  are  made  so 
by  reason  of  their  natural  character,  dispositions  and 
superior  cultivation  and  development.  They  are 
good  Christians.  They  would  have  been  good  Mus- 
sclmen,  or  Hindoos,  or  Deists,  or  Free  Religionists. 
We  have  good  men  outside  of  the  Church  as  well  as 
in  it ;  good  men  of  all  forms  of  religion  ;  good  men  of 
all  sects  and  of  no  sect.  Men  we  have,  good  as  any, 
who  have  no  faith  whatever  in  any  form  of  supernat- 
uralism.  They  are  good,  not  because  they  are  unbe- 
lievers, but  for  the  reason  mentioned  before. 

Nor  am  I  blind  to  the  beauties  of  the  Bible  ;  but  if 
it  contains  beauties,  it  also  contains  deformities.  If  it 
fills  the  minds  of  some  with  the  most  comforting 
hopes,  it  fills  the  minds  of  others  with  the  most  tor- 
menting and  distressing  fears.  If  to  some  it  imparts 
joy  and  peace,  to  others  it  imparts  sorrow  and  gloom; 
if  it  makes  some  happy,  it  makes  others  miserable. 
The  eloquent  Saurin,  a  French  divine,  admitted 
that  it  had  the  effect  on  him  to  make  "food  insip- 
id, society  irksome,  and  life  itself  a  cruel  bitter." 
The  influence  of  the  book,  then,  in  the  one  direction 
neutralizes  its  influence  in  the  other.  We  can  con- 
serve all  its  good  influence  and  prevent  the  bad  by 


56  THE  PRO   AND  COK   OF 

abandoning  bur  belief  in  its  authority  and  infallibility. 

If  we  reject  the  Bible  in  this  sense,  do  we  reject 
the  idea  of  the  existence  of  any  such  thing  as  revela- 
tion and  inspiration  ?  Far  from  it.  But  we  claim, 
that  "it  is  not  necessary  for  God  to  speak  in  an  audi- 
ble voice  in  order  to  reveal  himself  and  make  his  will 
known."  And  we  affirm  that  ever  since  men  took  it 
into  their  heads  to  make  him  speak,  each  one  makes 
him  speak  in  his  own  way  and  say  what  he  thinks  he 
ought  to  say.  Our  book  of  Revelation  includes  the 
Bible  and  all  other  books.  It  is  the  volume  of  na- 
ture. God  reveals  himself  in  the  laws  and  phenomena 
of  nature,  and  in  the  powers  and  faculties  of  the 
human  soul.  He  speaks  to  us  in  the  sun  and  moon  ; 
in  every  star  that  shines  in  the  blue  vault  above  ;  in 
the  globe  which  we  inhabit;  in  the  great  ocean  of 
waters;  in  every  lake  and  pond;  in  every  river,  rivulet 
and  spring;  in  the  mountains,  hills  and  plains;  in  every 
spire  of  grass;  in  every  plant  and  shrub  and  tree  that 
grows;  in  every  flower  that  blooms;  in  eyery  shower 
of  rain  ;  in  storms  and  tempests  ;  in  volcanoes  and 
earthquakes  ;  in  the  lightning  and  tlmnder  ;  in  every 
movement  of  the  mind  ;  in  every  feeling  and  emotion 
of  the  heart ;  in  every  sensation  we  experience  ;  in 
every  object  that  meets  the  eye,  and  in  every  sound 
that  greets  the  ear. 

As  to  inspiration,  we  believe  as  the  Bible  teaches, 
that  "there  is  a  spirit  in  man,  and  the  inspiration  of 
the  Almighty  iriveth  him  understanding."  We  cannot 
believe  that  lor  a  period  of  four  thousand  years,  God 
confined  his  gifts  of  revelation  and  inspiration  to  a 
comparatively  small  nation  of  people  inhabiting  an 
insignificant  portion  of  the  earth,  to  the  entire  neglect 
of  all  the  rest  of  mankind.     We  regard  such  an 


SUPERNATURAL  RELIGION.  57 

as  too  monstrous  a  reflection  on  his  character — an 
impeachment  of  his  partiality  and  goodness.  God's 
sunshine  and  rain  descends  upon  all ;  why  should  not 
his  blessings  of  revelation  and  inspiration  ?  Yes,  we 
believe  in  inspiration,  but  it  is  universal.  All  are  in- 
spired, but  not  all  in  the  same  degree ;  some  more, 
some  less,  each  one  according  to  his  deserving  and 
capacity  ;  none  to  a  degree  that  makes  them  infallible. 
Those  who  are  the  most  inspired  are  the  natural 
teachers  of  those  below  them.  God  has  given  them 
their  credentials,  noble  intellects,  hearts  that  beat 
high  in  humanity's  cause,  and  an  irrepressible  spirit 
which  makes  each  one  feel,  woe  is  me  if  I  proclaim 
not  God's  truth.  "The  world  is  their  parish,  and 
mankind  universally  are  their  parishioners."  They 
feel  that  they  have  a  mission  on  earth,  and  until  that 
is  accomplished  no  harm  can  befall  them.  God's  in- 
spiration and  revelation  cannot  be  confined  within 
the  lids  of  any  book,  nor  the  limits  of  any  one  man's 
mind,  nor  to  a  single  nation  only ;  not  to  only  one 
quarter  of  the  globe.  The  true  light,  as  saith  the 
scriptures,  *'enlighteneth  every  man  that  cometh  into 
the  world."  That  the  Jewish  prophets  were  inspired 
we  do  not  doubt ;  so  were  Confucius,  Buddha  and 
Mahomet,  so  was  Christ  and  his  Apostles,  and  Christ 
more  than  all  who  had  gone  before  him.  Paul  was 
inspired  more  than  all  the  rest  of  the  aposfles  put 
together.  He  dared  to  put  the  spirit  above  the  letter 
of  inspiration,  and  to  teach  that  in  all  cases  where 
there  was  a  conflict  between  them  the  letter  must 
yield.  No  doubt  the  Bible  contains  revelations  from 
God  ;  but  the  book  itself  is  the  work  of  human  hands 
and  bears  distinct  marks  of  its  human  origin.  No 
doubt  God  spake  to  Moses  -,  but  in  the  same  way  that 


58  THE  PRO  AKD  CON  OF 

he  has  always  been  speakmg  to  the  human  race.  In 
the  infancy  of  the  race  his  voice  is  only  faintly  heard 
because  the  peoples'  hearing  is  indistinct ;  but  as  the 
race  progresses  and  intellect  and  moral  sense  is  more 
developed,  his  voice  is  more  distinctly  heard  and 
better  comprehended.  Inspiration,  then,  is  progres- 
sive ;  the  final  word  has  not  yet  been  spoken.  Reve- 
lation is  more  full  and  complete  to-day  than  ever 
before  ;  but  we  may  expect  even  greater  revelations 
in  the  future.  The  difference  between  us  and  other 
religionists  is  not  that  we  believe  less,  but  a  great  deal 
more. 

Our  God  is  the  power  that  controls  the  universe  of 
matter;  mind  and  morals  ;  the  all-powerful,  wise  and 
good.  Our  Church  is  the  whole  world  ;  the  members 
of  it  the  entire  race  of  man.  If  some  are  bad  members 
it  is  the  duty  of  the  rest  to  make  them  better.  Our 
Temple  is  all  space.  Our  altar  is  '*  earth,  sea  and 
skies."  Our  sacrifices  and  hymns  of  praise  are  joyful 
and  thankful  hearts.  Our  prayers  are  good  desires 
and  wishes,  accompanied  by  corresponding  acts  and 
deeds.  Vfe  endeavor  to  manifest  our  regard  and 
reverence  for  the  Supreme  Being,  by  discharging  with 
fidelity  the  duties  of  life  and  doing  good  to  our  fellow- 
men.  Upon  our  altars  no  victims  die  ;  no  blood  is 
shed ;  no  offering  is  presented  of  burning  flesh  or 
sweet  scented  herbs.  "We  never  presume  to  off'er  aid 
to  almighty  power ;  to  counsel  infinite  wisdom  ;  to 
communicate  intelligence  to  omnicience,  nor  to  desire 
to  avert  the  judgments  of  immaculate  purity  and  jus- 
tice; nor  to  try  to  make  infinite  love  more  kind  to  hi?- 
creatures."  We  tolerate  all  opinions,  and  persecutf 
for  none.  TVe  seek  to  combat  ignorance  and  super- 
stition, not  by  force  and  violence,  but  by  imparting 


SUPERNATURAL  RELIGION.  59 

knowledge  and  instruction.  We  endeavor  to  lead  the 
erring  from  vice  and  to  the  practice  of  virtue,  not  by 
threats  and  denunciations,  but  by  mild  reproof  and 
gentle  pursuasion.  We  worship  God,  not  so  much 
by  set  forms  and  ceremonies  and  prescribed  rules,  as 
by  doing  good  to  each  other.  We  use  no  signs,  sym- 
bols, amulets  or  charms.  We  fear  no  devils  worse  than 
men  carry  in  their  own  bosoms.  We  make  no  pil- 
grimages to  Mecca,  to  the  Ganges,  nor  to  Jerusalem. 
We  are  not  solitaries,  recluses,  monks,  nuns,  anchor- 
ites, misanthropes  nor  pillar  saints.  We  do  not  be- 
lieve that  the  owl  is  a  better  bird  for  his  gravity,  nor 
the  lark  a  worse  one  for  his  merry  notes  ;  nor  that  a 
man's  religion  can  be  measured  by  the  length  of  his 
face.  We  believe  in  cultivating  cheerfulness,  mirth 
and  laughter  ;  in  manifesting  a  spirit  of  kindness  to 
all  men  without  exception,  the  bad  as  well  as  good, 
and  to  everything  that  lives  and  breathes.  We  be- 
lieve in  making  men  good  by  making  them  happy. 
We  believe  that  the  most  acceptable  return  we  can 
make  for  all  our  blessings  is  to  be  thankful  for  them 
and  enjoy  them,  and  that  in  so  doing  we  only  obey 
God.  We  do  not  fast  nor  torture  our  bodies  for  the 
good  of  our  souls.  We  do  not  spend  our  days  in 
gloom  and  sorrow,  and  fancy  that  by  so  doing  we  are 
serving  either  God  or  man.  We  fear  no  truth,  and 
accept  without  hesitation  from  whatever  source, 
whatever  appears  to  be  true,  and  as  unhesitatingly  re- 
ject what  we  deem  to  be  false.  We  endeavor  to  cul- 
tivate a  sufficient  amount  of  manhood,  moral  courage 
and  heroism,  to  fearlessly  avow  our  honest  opinions. 

If  we  reject  the  idea  of  the  supernatural  origin  of 
the  Bible  and  of  its  absolute  authority  and  infallibili- 
ty, do  we  reject  the  beautiful  moral  and  religious  pre- 


W  THE  FRO  AND  CON   OF 

cepts,  the  sublime  and  elevating  sentiments  contamed 
in  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  ?  Sarely  not ;  or  in 
accepting  these,  must  we  endorse  the  gross,  vulgar 
ideas,  the  incredible  statements,  the  unreasonable, 
absurd  doctrines  therein  contained  ?  If  we  read  in  a 
book  that  two  and  two  are  four,  and  in  the  same  book 
that  two  and  two  are  ten,  if  we  believe  the  last, 
must  we,  in  order  to  be  consistent  deny  also  the  first  ? 
But  this  is  precisely  what  is  meant  when  we  are  told 
that  if  we  reject  one  part  of  the  Bible  we  must  disbe- 
lieve the  whole.  Again,  if  we  reject  the  supernatural- 
ism  of  Christianity,  do  we  therefore  renounce  all  re- 
ligion ?  As  well  might  we  renounce  our  nature,  or 
our  manhood.  The  Bible  did  not  make  religion,  nor 
is  it  dependent  on  it.  Religion  existed  before  there 
was  any  Bible.  It  had  its  birth  in  the  heart  of  the 
first  man  that  ever  lived.  Moses,  Abraham,  Isaac 
and  Jacob,  Socrates,  Plato  and  Seneca  were  religious 
men  ;  but  they  never  saw  the  Bible.  The  same  causes 
that  made  them  religious  can  make  us  also.  Religion 
has  its  foundation  in  the  nature  and  constitution  of 
men.  Human  religion  has  no  existence  outside  of 
human  nature.  It  cannot  be  infused  into  man  nor 
engrafted  on  him  ;  it  has  its  seat,  its  root,  its  germ  in 
the  heart.  All  true  religion  must  be  of  the  heart  and 
be  developed  within.  If  all  the  Bibles  in  the  world 
of  every  name  were  exterminated,  religion,  however 
much  it  might  suffer  from  the  loss  of  what  is  good  and 
true  contained  in  them,  would  still  survive  the  shock 
and  re-appear  in  all  its  inherent  power  and  splendor. 

Tell  me  not,  then,  that  Rationalists  are  Infidels  to 
religion,  when  I  know  that  their  belief  is  that  religion 
stands  in  no .  need  of  falsehoods,  deception,  pious 
frauds,  supernatural  agencies  nor  miracles  to  support 


SUPERNATURAL  RELIGION.  61 

it,  and  that  in  no  way  can  it  be  destroyed  except  by 
exterminating  the  human  race.  Religion  is  goodness^ 
and  just  as  much  goodness  as  there  is  in  tlie  world,  in 
so  much  is  the  world  blessed  by  religion.  In  pro- 
portion as  goodness  is  developed  in  the  individual 
man  and  carried  out  by  him  in  practice,  in  that  pro- 
portion he  is  religious.  Religion  existed  before  writ- 
ing was  linown  or  books  made,  or  ever  ceremonials 
instituted,  creeds  drawn  up,  or  a  priesthood  establish- 
ed. It  will  remain  even  if  all  these  should  be  swept 
away. 

But  *'how  about  theological  doctrines  ?"  it  may  be 
asked.  Ah!  we  have  now  introduced  the  great  bone 
of  contention  which  for  ages  has  agitated  the  relig- 
ious world,  producing  confusion,  strife  and  conten- 
tion, and  almost,  if  not  quite,  neutralizing  the  benefi- 
cial influence  of  religion  among  men.  In  regard  to 
theological  dogmas,  each  man  must  be  his  own  judge. ' 
In  so  far  as  men  form  their  own  opinions,  each  man's 
opinion  will  be  a  bantling  of  his  own — a  child  of  his 
own  creation.  He  will  manifest  toward  it  parental 
affection,  he  will  defend  it  when  attacked,  and  assert, 
as  many  do  about  their  children,  that  it  is  the  bigest, 
handsomest,  brightest  and  best  that  the  human  mind 
ever  gave  birth  to.  It  has  been  well  said  that  *'  it  is 
with  our  opinions  as  with  our  watches,  those  of  oth- 
ers go  too  fast  or  too  slow,  ours  only,  keeps  the  true 
hour  of  the  day."  It  is  only  men  of  refinement  and 
culture  that  can  rise  superior  to  this  narrow  and  sel- 
fish prejudice.  Men's  judgments  differ,  and,  there- 
fore, there  will  be  differences,  of  opinions  among 
them.  We  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  opinions  of 
others  except  to  tolerate  them,  and  correct  them  if  we 
can,  if  we  deem  them  to  be  erroneous,  by  argument 


62  THE  PRO  AND   CON  OF 

and  persuasion.  Until  we  practice  on  this  principle, 
there  can  be  no  peace.  The  good  man  practices  re- 
ligion irrespective  of  creed,  sect  or  party,  and  hence 
it  is,  that  we  have  good  men  of  eveiy  faith.  If  any 
creed  beneath  the  heavens  could  be  supposed  to  have 
power  to  drive  out  the  last  vestige  of  goodness  from 
the  human  heart,  it  is  that  of  St.  Augustine  and  John 
Calvin.  It  asserts,  in  the  most  plain  and  unqualitied 
terms,  the  utter  vileness  of  human  nature,  and  that 
the  manner  of  life  and  ultimate  destiny  of  each  indi- 
vidual of  the  human  race  is  fixed  and  determined  by 
the  absolute,  unalterable,  unchangeable  and  irrevers- 
able  decree  of  the  Almighty,  without  regard  to  the 
goodness  or  badness  of  the  persons.  And  yet,  among  the 
believers  in  this  creed  have  been  found  many  as  good 
men  as  ever  lived  on  earth.  Men,  then,  are  sometimes 
good  in  spite  of  their  creeds.  But  however  at  vari- 
ance men  may  be  in  respect  to  their  creeds,  goodness 
is  recognized  everywhere.  God  has  set  his  seal  upon 
it,  and  it  passes  current  all  over  the  world,  in  all 
ranks,  classes  and  conditions  of  men,  without  one 
solitary  exception.  Even  the  vilest  of  the  vile  respect, 
honor  and  applaud  the  good  man. 

But  I  am  often  asked,  ''how  without  supernatural 
revelation  are  we  to  know  anything  about  God  and 
immortality  ?"  Long  before  the  Bible  existed  men 
believed  in  God.  No  man  can  believe  in  God  unless 
he  feels  God  within.  This,  in  a  different  form  of 
words,  was  one  of  the  maxims  of  the  great  teacher 
Christ,  and  is  a  profound  truth.  The  pure  in  heart 
see  God.  None  others  can  see  him.  Bad  men  may 
believe  in  a  God,  but  it  is  not  the  true  God.  Like  the 
devils  spoken  of  in  the  Bible,  they  ''believe  and 
tremble."    T^eir  God  is  only  a  reflex  image  of  them- 


I 


SUPERNATURAL  RELIGION.  63 

selves.  The  man  who  believes  in  God  may  not  be 
able  to  define  him  even  to  his  own  satisfaction.  He 
may  not  be  able  to  comprehend  his  mode  of  existence, 
or  to  conceive  him  as  having  form,  shape,  size  or  lo- 
cality. But  whoever  believes  in  the  existence  of  om- 
nipotent power,  directed  by  infinite  wisdom  and  good- 
ness, and  that  this  power  has  established  the  govern- 
ment of  the  Universe  on  the  basis  of  exact  and  equal 
justice  to  all  his  dependent  creatures,  thereby  securing 
absolute  recompense  to  all  exactly  according  to  their 
deserts  ;  and,  furthermore,  that  although  he  shows  no 
special  favor  to  any,  he  takes  infinite  pains  to  secure 
the  interest  of  the  race,  and  that  whatever  benefits  he 
confers  on  the  race  will  be  ultimately  participated  in 
by  every  individual  of  the  race ;  whoever,  I  say,  be- 
lieves this,  believes  in  God. 

The  doctrine  of  immorality  was  not  first  announc- 
ed in  the  Bible,  nor  is  it  proved  by  it.  Some  of  the 
Scripture  writers  express  strong  doubts  on  the  sub- 
ject. Only  one  attempted  to  prove  it,  viz  :  Paul,  and 
he  rests  it  on  a  very  precarious  foundation — the  alleg- 
ed fact  vouched  for  by  himself,  on  hearsay  testimony, 
of  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ  from  the  dead. 
This  alleged  fact  is  quite  as  difficult  to  prove  as  the 
doctrine  which  is  made  to  depend  on  it.  The  only 
other  argument  for  it  in  the  Bible  is  that  attributed  to 
Christ  in  his  reported  conversation  with  the  Sadduc- 
ers.  When  we  examine  it,  we  find  it  to  be  a  mere 
play  upon  words,  a  verbal  quibble,  which  attributes 
to  the  Old  Testament  writers  thoughts  which  they  did 
not  intend  to  express,  a  proceeding  quite  unworthy 
of  Christ,  if,  indeed,  he  was  guilty  of  it,  which  is 
more  than  can  be  known. 

The  doctrines  of  God  and  immortally  are  true  if 


64  THE  PRO  AND  CON  OP 

true  at  all  irrespectiye  of  the  Bible.  They  are  true 
not  because  they  are  taught  there,  but  they  are  taught 
there  because  they  are-  true.  These  doctrines  are  to 
be  believed,  if  believed  at  all,  not  because  they  can  be 
proved  by  logical  argument,  but  because  they  meet 
with  a  response  from  the  inmost  depths  of  the  human 
soul.  No  man  of  independent  thought  can  believe  in 
immortality  who  does  not  feel  himself  to  be  immor- 
tal. And  he  will  feel  himself  to  be  so  in  proportion 
as  he  becomes  " pure  in  heart."  At  all  events,  he  will 
be  resigned  to  his  lot,  and  accept  as  the  best  good 
whatever  destiny  the  God  of  purity,  justice  and  good- 
ness may  please  to  assign  him. 

The  truh^  good  man,  who  is  enlightened,  as  well  as 
good,  will  practice  goodness  because  he  loves  it,  and 
tor  its  own  sake.  He  is  not  moved  to  action  by  con- 
siderations of  reward  in  another  state  of  being,  nor 
deterred  from  vice  by  fear  of  punishment.  He  claims 
no  merit,  however  meritorious  ;  no  reward,  however 
deserving.  He  has  faith  in  God,  in  human  nature,  in 
truth  and  goodness,  and  truth  and  goodness  are  to 
him  all  in  all.  He  does  not  fear  to  have  his  princi- 
ples examined,  investigated  and  scrutinized.  He 
does  not  deprecate  fair  manly  discussion  and  contro- 
versy, for  he  knows  that  God  is  on  the  side  of  truth, 
and  that  the  more  it  is  examined  the  brighter  it  will 
appear.  He  puts  his  trust  in  God,  and  has  no  fear  of 
what  devils  or  men  can  do  unto  him.  Goodness  is 
his  comfort  in  life  ;  his  consolation  and  support  in 
that  great  event  in  the  history  of  us  all  which  we  call 
death.  Great  is  goodness.  May  it  ultimately  per- 
vade the  heart  and  mind  of  every  human  being.  "Let 
every  thing  that  hath  breath  praise  the  Lord,"  and 
may  all  the  people  say,  Amen. 


SUPERNATURAL  RELIGION.  65 

'*  'Twas  thus  the  Royal  mandate  ran. 
When  first  the  human  race  began ; 
The  social,  friendly,  honest  man. 

'Tishe; 
Fulfils  great  nature's  law. 

And  none  but  he." 


66  THE  PBO  AlO)   CON  OF 


PART    V. 

Review  of  the  evidence  in  fawr  of  Miracles,  and  of  the 
authenticity  of  the  Xew  Testament 

The  substance  of  the  best  things  that  can  be  said  in 
favor  of  miracles,  and  of  the  authenticity  of  the  New 
Testament  may  be  summed  up  in  the  following  prop- 
ositions: 

1.  There  is  an  antecedent  probability  in  favor  of 
miracles  as  a  means  of  authenticating  revelation.  2. 
The  doctrines  of  the  Bible  are  of  such  a  nature  as  to 
prove  the  book  divine.  3.  It  is  impossible  to  ac- 
count for  the  existence  of  so  many  marvelous  stories 
in  the  Xew  Testament,  only  by  supposing  either  that 
they  are  true,  or  that  the  Evangelists  were  guilty  of 
wilfully  falsifying  in  order  to  deceive.  4.  Variations 
in  the  accounts  of  the  Bible  writers  is  no  proof  that 
what  they  record  is  false,  inasmuch  as  "substantial 
agreement  with  circuihstantial  variety  is  character- 
istic of  all  human  testimony." 

1.  The  antecedent  prohability.  Miracles,  it  is  said, 
are  necessary  in  order  to  authenticate  revelation. 
This  we  deny,  and  therefore  deny  the  probal)ility  of 
them.  If  God  wished  his  creatures  to  be  religious, 
the  probability  is,  he  would  make  them  naturally  so, 
and  not  so  arrange  the  order  of  nature  as  to  make  it 
necessary  to  break  in  upon  and  disturb  the  natural 


SUrEllXATUKAL   liELIUION.  67 

order^n  revealing  himself  and  making  his  will  known. 
Accordingly,  we  liud  that  man  is  endowed  by  nature 
with  religious  powers  and  faculties — that  the  germ  of 
religion  is  planted  in  his  heart  and  mind.  That  in 
the  infancy  of  the  human  race  and  while  in  a  barba- 
rous condition,  the  religious  sentiments  should  be 
comparatively  latent  or  but  feebly  manifested,  and 
often  misdirected  is  no  more  strange  than  that  the 
reasoning  powers  of  man  should  be  in  the  same  con- 
dition, or  that  we  should  be  born  into  existence  with 
all  our  powers  both  of  bod}'  and  mind  in  a  latent 
condition. 

It  is  generally  admitted  that  miracles  are  intrinsic- 
ally improbable  and  incredible.  If,  then,  it  was 
necessary  for  God  to  make  a  special  revelation  to  man 
and  to  authenticate  it  hy  miracles,  the  amount  of 
proof  of  the  miracles  ought  to  correspond  to  their  in- 
credibility. If  we  ask  for  proof  of  the  miracles,  we 
are  t(;ld  that  the  Bible  is  authority  for  them.  But 
how  can  an  incredible  thing  be  authenticated  by  an 
authority  which  itself  needs  authentication? 

2.  27ie  doctrines  of  the  Bible.  If  they  were  all  new 
and  true  that  would  not  prove  that  they  were  specially 
revealed;  nor  that  they  were  above  the  conception  of 
the  human  mind.  Besides,  there  is  no  religious  doc- 
trine or  moral  precept,  no  rite,  ceremony  or  institu- 
ti(m  taught  in  the  Old  Testament,  that  had  not  its 
counterpart  in  the  opinions  and  religions  of  the  Pagan 
nations  existing  when  the  Hebrew  Bible  was  written. 
And  all  the  real  doctrines  and  precepts  taught  by 
Christ,  as  well  as  all  that  have  been  incorporated  with 
them,  have  their  counterpart  in  the  teachings  of  men 
who  preceded  liim  by  several  centuries. 

3.  Were  Christ  and  his  disciples  impostors?    In  re- 


68  THE  PRO  AND  COK   OF 

gard  to  Christ,  it  is  sufficient  to  say,  that  as  he  left  no 
record  of  his  life  or  teachings,  and  did  not  authorize 
any  one  to  make  such  a  record  for  him  ;  and  as  there 
is  abundant  evidence  in  the  record  which  we  have 
that  it  attributes  to  him  sayings  that  he  did  not  say, 
and  doings  which  he  never  did,  it  is  impossible  to  tell 
what  he  did  or  did  not  say  and  do.  As  for  the  Evan- 
gelists, it  has  never  been  proved  that  they  were  the 
authors  of  the  books  usually  ascribed  to  them.  The 
weight  of  evidence,  and  even  of  authority  of  learned 
divines,  is  that  they  were  not.  But  suppose  they 
were.  Then  we  shall  be  asked  "if  the  miracles  re- 
corded in  the  four  gospels  were  not  wrought,  how 
came  the  writers  to  lelkve  that  they  were  ?"  It  will  be 
said,  "these  men  had  common  sense;  they  were  capa- 
ble of  judging;  they  make  no  attempt  at  exaggeration, 
and  they  record  the  miracles  in  a  simple,  artless 
manner,  as  any  historian  would  record  events  of  com- 
mon occurrence."  Here  we  must  proceed  with 
caution.  This  is  a  vital  point.  This  argument  is  not 
to  be  treated  with  a  sneer,  nor  passed  by  as  of  no 
consequence.  Before  we  proceed  to  comment  on  it 
we  must  warn  the  reader  that  it  will  not  do  to  transfer 
our  knowledge,  opinions,  views  and  feelings  to  the 
men  of  those  ancient  times.  To  do  so,  is  a  fallacy  so 
glaring  that  we  marvel  that  it  should  be  so  generally 
overlooked.  Undoubtedly  if  some  one  in  our  day 
should  claim  the  power  to  work  miracles,  such  as 
raising  the  dead,  »i'c.,  we  should  be  exceedingly  in- 
credulous, and  would  not  believe  only  after  the 
closest  scrutiny  and  the  presentation  of  an  over- 
whelming amount  of  evidence.  But  with  the  Evan- 
gel bts,  the  case  was  quite  diflerent.  They  lived  iu 
an  age  and  among  a  people  who  knew  but  little  about 


SUPERNATURAL   RELIGION.  69 

nature  and  her  laws;  a  people  who  were  exceedingly 
credulous  and  superstitious,  and  believed  tliat  mira- 
cles w^ere  wrought  almost  ever}'^  day  in  their  public 
streets.  All  the  common  and  ordinary  phenomena 
of  nature  tliey  attributed  to  the  direct  agency  of  God 
or  the  Devil. 

The  Evangelists  were  Jews.  They  believed 
that  in  all  past  time  God  had  wrought  miracles  in 
behalf  of  his  chosen  people,  and  that  the  time  had 
arrived  when  there  was  to  be  the  grandest  display  of 
almighty  power  for  the  redemption  of  the  Jews  from 
their  bondage  and  degradation.  Nothing  was  more 
natural  then,  than  that  they  should  expect  from  a  man 
who  claimed  to  be  a  religious  reformer  and  deliverer, 
that  he  should  work  miracles.  Hence,  when  they  saw 
things  done  which  they  deemed  miraculous  it  excited 
in  them  no  surprise.  The  only  thing  that  surprised 
them  was  that  the  miracles  were  so  different  in  kind 
from  what  they  were  expecting.  Christ  was  a  re- 
markable man,  commanding  in  his  appearance,  voice 
and  manner.  He  possessed  a  great  share  of  that  per- 
sonal, mysterious  magnetism,  which  has  been  so 
often  displayed  by  other  men.  He  taught  doctrines 
which  were  adapted  to  the  wants  of  the  common  peo- 
ple. His  miracles,  such  as  healing  the  sick,  restoring 
sight  to  the  blind  and  hearing  to  the  deaf,  were  such 
as  are  wrought  at  the  present  day;  but  which  no  one 
supposes  to  be  miraculous.  The  power  to  cast  out 
evil  spirits  was  possessed  by  some  men  among  the 
Jews,  in  common  with  Christ.  All  these  things  were 
thought  to  be  miracles  by  the  disciples,  and  believing 
them  such,  opened  the  way  to  their  believing  almost 
anything. 

According    to   Lardner,   the    gospels   were    writ- 


70  THE  PRO  A2JD  CON  OP 

ten,  the  earliest  not  less  than  thirty-one,  the  latest 
thirty-five  years  after  the  death  of  Christ.  Two  of  the 
supposed  writers,  Mark,  and  Luke,  were  not  eye- 
witnesses of  what  they  record.  All  four  wrote  with 
a  view  to  give  an  outline  history  of  the  life  and  teach- 
ings of  Christ.  Nothing  could  be  more  natural  than 
that  they  should  record,  not  •;  nly  what  they  knew, 
but  also  all  that  was  currently  believed  by  their  fel- 
low Christians  of  that  day.  The  artless  manner  in 
which  they  recorded  what  to  us  would  be  incredible, 
is  thus  easily  accounted  for.  And  we  are  under  no' 
necessity  of  supposing  that  the  writers  were  any  other 
than  honest  men,  aside  from  the  tendency  of  religious 
enthusiasm  and  love  of  the  marvelous  to  exaggera- 
tion. A  critical  examination  of  the  gospels  will  ena- 
ble us  to  detect  such  a  tendency  even  in  them.  For 
proof,  see  Matt.  iii.  5,  6:  iv.  23-25. 

Before  the  gospels  were  wi-itten,  Christian  congre- 
gations had  been  gathered  in  Syria,  Egypt,  Greece, 
Rome  and  other  places.  Soon  after  they  were  written 
Jerusalem  was  destroyed  and  the  Jews  dispersed. 
The  principal  interest  in  these  writings  was  confined 
to  those  who  were  interested  in  having  them  received 
as  authentic.  But  few  copies  of  them  were  in  exist- 
ence; only  a  few  among  the  people  could  read  them, 
and  they  were  mainly  in  the  hands  of  the  clergy. 
There  was  no  one  to  question  their  genuineness  until 
sometime  after  they  first  appeared:  and  when  they 
began  to  be  criticised,  the  writings  of  those  who  did 
question  them  were  not  long  after  destroyed. 

If  God  chose  miracles  as  a  means  of  authenticating 
a  revelation,  it  is  certainly  very  singular  that  the 
means  should  prove  so  inadequate  to  the  end.  At  the 
very  time  when  miracles  were  wrought  in  the  greatest 


SUPERNATURAL  RELIGION.  71 

abundance,  a  great  majority  of  those  who  are  said  to 
have  witnessed  them  were  not  convinced  by  them. 
If  the  Jews  had  believed  them  to  be  genuine,  would 
they  have  dared  to  proceed  against  Christ  as  they 
did?  The  miraculous  portion  of  the  gospels  has  al- 
ways been  a  serious  obstacle  in  the  way  of  their  re- 
ception by  scientific  men,  and  to-day  hinders  the  pro- 
gress of  religion  in  the  world. 

Let  us  now  take  another  view.  "We  will  suppose 
what  the  weight  of  evidence  and  authority  justifies  us 
in  believing  to  be  true;  that  these  gospels  were  not 
written  by  the  Evangelists,  but  were  compiled  by 
after  writers  at  a  time  somewhat  later  than  the  date 
usually  assigned  them,  and  when  nothing  was  more 
common  than  to  forge  books  and  attribute  their 
authorship  to  distinguished  persons  in  order  to  give 
them  authority.  Is  it  not  possible,  then,  that  some 
liberties  may  have  been  taken  by  the  compilers? 
Whether  they  were  written  by  the  Evangelists  or  not, 
it  is  certain  that  they  have  been  frequently  copied; 
that  they  were  finally  separated  from  a  mass  of  simi- 
lar books,  and  pronounced  to  be  authentic  and 
a,uthoritative  by  uninspired  and  fallible  men.  Can  an 
incredible  thing  be  proved  by  such  evidence  ?  The 
evidence  is  wholly  exparte.  No  scientific  test  was 
applied  to  any  of  the  miracles.  No  committee  of 
scientific  men  examined  to  ascertain  whether  Lazarus 
was  dead  or  not,  and  we  have  no  opportunity  to  cross- 
question  the  witnesses. 

As  to  the  internal  evidence  of  the  infallibility  of 
these  books,  we  know  that  they  contain  incredible 
statements;  direct  contradictions,  and  glaring  incon- 
sistencies. As  a  specimen  of  the  latter,  we  are  told 
that  at  the  baptism  of  Christ,  John  recognized  him  as 


72  THE  PRO  AND  CON  0» 

the  Messiah,  and  boldly  announced  him  as  such  to 
the  people.  Not  only  so,  but  the  fact  was  confirmed 
by  a  miracle,  the  visible  appearance  of  a  dove  and  an 
audible  voice  from  heaven.  Tet  subsequently  to  this 
impressive  scene,  John  is  represented  as  having  been 
in  doubt  on  the  subject.  Is  it  possible  that  if  John 
was  inspired,  and  had  witnessed  this  miracle,  he  could 
have  such  doubts  ? 

The  fact  that  the  New  Testament  contains  contra- 
dictions is  sometimes  denied.  Let  us  examine  and 
see.  Take  the  account  of  the  resurrection  of  Christ. 
All  the  accounts  agree  that  after  the  crucifixion  his 
body  was  placed  in  the  tomb  of  a  man  who  was  one 
of  his  friends.  l^Iark  says,  that  when  he  was  taken 
down  from  the  cross,  Pilate  "  marveled  "  that  he  was 
so  soon  dead.  They  all  agree  that  the  tomb  was  vis- 
ited on  Sunday  morning,  and  that  the  body  was  not 
there.     But  they  differ, 

1.  As  to  the  time  of  day.  Matthew  says,  it  was  "in 
the  end  of  the  Sabbath,  as  it  began  to  dawn  toward 
the  first  day  of  the  week."  Mark  says  it  was  "  at  the 
rising  of  the  sun."  Luke,  that  it  was  "very  early  in 
the  morning."  John,  that  it  was  "  when  it  was  yet 
dark."  This  difference  is  slight,  and  we  only  men- 
tion it  to  show  that  the  visit  was  probably  before  it 
was  light.  How  could  Matthew  know  that  an  angel 
from  heaven  had  been  there  and  removed  the  stone 
from  the  door  of  the  sepulchre?  Neither  he  nor  any 
of  the  disciples  were  there  to  see.  Was  not  this  a 
mere  inference,  from  the  fact  that  this  stone  was  roll- 
ed away?  He  certainly  testifies  to  something  of 
which  he  was  not  an  eye-witness.  Nor  could  he  have 
witnessed  it,  for  it  was  done,  if  done  at  all,  in  the 
dark. 


SUPERNATURAL  RELIGION.  73 

2.  Number  of  'persons  who  msited  the  tomb.  John 
mentions  but  one;  Matthew,  two;  Mark,  three;  Luke, 
three,  and  ''certain  other  women  who  were  with 
them."  Now  these  gospels  are  supposed  to  have  been 
written  by  independent  witnesses.  Here  they  are  re- 
lating one  of  the  most  important  events  in  the  career 
of  Christ,  one  on  the  truth  or  falsity  of  which  the 
whole  superstructure  of  supernatural  religion  depend- 
ed. They  ara  supposed  to  have  been  inspired  in  or- 
der to  assist  them  to  tell  the  truth.  They  should, 
then,  have  told  "the  truth,  the  whole  truth,  and 
nothing  but  ihe  truth."  But  if  there  was  more  than 
one  person  that  went  to  the  sepulchre,  then,  John  did 
not  tell  the  whole  truth.  If  there  was  more  than  two, 
Matthew  failed  to  do  it ;  and  if  more  than  three, 
Mark  did  not  tell  it  all.  It  was  an  important  point, 
for  much  would  depend  on  the  number  of  witnesses 
of  the  resurrection. 

3.  Number  of  persons  wlio  appeared  to  the  visitors. 
Mark  says  one  "young  man;"  Matthew,  one  "an- 
gel;" Luke,  "two  men;"  John,  "two  angels."  If 
there  was  but  one  person,  there  were  not  two  ;  if  there 
were  two,  there  were  more  than  one.  If  the  persons 
were  men,  they  were  not  angels  ;  if  they  were  angels^ 
they  were  not  men. 

4  Time  of  the  appearance  of  these  men  or  angels.  Ac- 
cording to  John,  not  till  Mary's  second  visit  to  the 
tomb,  after  Peter  and  John  had  been  there.  Accord- 
ing to  Matthew,  Mark  and  Luke,-  it  was  when  Mary 
first  went  to  the  place. 

5.  Message  of  tlie  persons  seen  at  t,he  tomb.  John  said 
the  two  "  angels  "  said  to  Mary  Magdalene,  "Woman! 
why  wcepest  thou  ?"  Luke  says  that  tux?  men  an- 
nounced to  several  women  that    Christ  had  risen. 


74  THE  PRO   AND   CON  OP 

Mark  tells  us  that  this  announcement  was  made  to 
three  women  by  a  "young  man."  Matthew  says  it 
was  made  to  two  women  by  the  "  angel "  who  liad 
rolled  away  the  stone. 

6.  Conduct  of  the  parties  tonohomthe  announcement 
was  made.  Mark  says,  "they  said  nothing  to  any 
man."  Matthew,  Luke  and  John  say  that  they  hast- 
ened to  carry  the  news  to  the  disciples. 

7.  The  persons  io  whom  Jesus  apipewred.  Matthew 
says,  it  was  first  to  two  women,  then  to  the  disciples. 
Mark,  that  it  was  to  one  woman,  then  to  two  of  the 
disciples,  and  then  to  the  eleven.  Luke,  that  it  was 
first  to  Cleopas  and  his  companion,  as  they  journeyed 
to  Emmaus  ;  then  to  Peter,  then  to  the  eleven.  John 
j<ays  it  was  to  one  woman,  then  twice  to  the  eleven. 

8.  Places  tchere  Christ  was  seen.  Mark  does  not  men- 
tion any  particular  place.  Matthew  says  he  was  seen 
by  two  women  on  their  way  to  tell  the  disciples  what 
they  had  seen  at  the  sepulchre  ;  then  on  a  mountain  in 
Galilee.  John  says  it  was  first  to  Mary  Magdalene  at 
the  sepulchre,  then  at  Jerusalem,  though  he  does  not 
name  the  place  ;  and  then  to  the  disciples  at  the  Sea 
of  Tiberias.  According  to  Luke,  it  was  first  on  the 
way  to,  and  at  Emmaus,  then  at  Jerusalem  and  Beth- 
any. 

9.  According  to  Matthew,  Christ  directed  the  dis- 
ciples to  go  to  Galilee,  and  promised  to  meet  them 
there.  Mark  says,  this  direction  was  given  by  a 
"  young  man,**  who  was  seen  in  the  tomb.  Luke  and 
John  are  silent  about  this  direction  and  meeting.  Ac- 
cording to  Luke,  the  meetings  of  Christ  with  his  dis- 
ciples were  all  in  Jerusalem  and  its  vicinity,  at  one  of 
which  he  directed  them  to  "tarry  in  Jerusalem  until 
they  were  endued  with  power  from  on  high." 


8IJPERNATUEAL.  RELIGION.  75 

10.  Matthew  says,  the  disciples  went  to  Galilee  and 
met  Christ  there.  Luke,  that  they  tarried  in  Jerusa- 
lem, and  "were  continually  in  the  temple  praising 
and  blessing  God." 

11.  Matthew  and  John  say  nothing  about  what  be- 
came of  Christ  after  his  resurrection.  Mark  says,  he 
ascended  to  heaven,  but  does  not  tell  us  when,  where, 
nor  how.  Luke  says,  he  was  "  carried  up  into  heav- 
en" from  Bethany,  but  does  not  say  in  what  way. 
Healsotf's  us  that  his  ascension  took  place  on  the 
evening  of  the  third  day  after  his  resurrection.  (See 
chap.  xxiv.  21;  compare  verses  33,  36,  50.)  But  in 
Acts  he  tells  us  that  he  did  not  ascend  until  forty  days 
after  the  resurrection,  and  that  it  took  place  from 
Mount  Olivet. 

Another  remarkable  thing  in  these  accounts  is,  that 
the  persons  to  whom  Christ  appeared  could  only  with 
diflEiculty  recognize  him.  When  Mary  saw  him  she 
did  not  know  him,  but  supposed  him  to  be  the  "gard- 
ener." Two  of  his  disciples  journe3^ed  with  him, 
conversed  with  him,  spent  some  time  in  his  company, 
and  yet  did  not  know  who  he  was,  but  regarded  him 
as  a  "stranger."  When  the  eleven  met  in  Galilee, 
where  they  went  by  appointment,  expecting  to  see 
him,  "some"  of  them  **  doubted."  At  his  first  ap. 
pearance  to  them  they  were  "affrighted,"  and  "sup- 
posed they  saw  a  spirit."  From  Mark  xvi.  12,  we 
learn  that  he  appeared  in  different  forms.  Matthew 
tells  of  a  phenomenon  which  occurred  at  the  resurrec- 
tion which  is  not  mentioned  by  either  Mark,  Luke 
or  John,  viz. :  a  "great  earthquake"  and  the  descent 
of  an  "  angel  of  the  Lord  from  heaven."  Of  this  we 
will  speak  in  the  proper  place. 

Whether  Christ  ascended  to  heaven  in  his  natural 


76  THE  PRO  AND  CON  OP 

body,  or  whether  his  body  passed  through  a  change  of 
any  kind,  we  are  not  informed.  If  his  body  waa 
changed  so  as  to  become  etherealized  and  fitted  for  a 
residence  in  a  spiritual  sphere,  and  the  Evangelists 
knew  it,  it  is  strange  that  they  did  not  record  that 
fact.  The  fact  that  they  did  not,  is  evidence  that  they 
did  not  perceive  the  incongruity  and  impossibility 
which  was  perceived  by  Paul,  viz.:  of  "flesh  and 
blood  inheriting  the  kingdom  of  God.'' 

In  order  to  account  for  the  difficulty  of  the  disci- 
ples to  recognize  Christ,  it  may  be  said  that  his  ex- 
citement, anxiety  and  sufferings  previous  to  and  at 
the  crucifixion  had  so  worn  upon  and  emaciated  him, 
as  to  change  his  appearance.  But  the  same  power 
that  could  impart  life  to  his  dead  body,  could  also  re- 
store it  to  perfect  physical  health  and  integrity,  and 
doubtless  would  do  it.  It  may  be  said  that  his  resur- 
rection was  so  unexpected  and  attended  by  such  mar- 
velous occurrences,  that  the  disciples  were  alarmed 
and  bewildered.  But  veteran  soldiers,  who  have  been 
often  under  fire,  are  not  apt  to  be  alarmed  out  of  their 
senses  when  they  hear  the  familiar  sound  of  the  boom- 
ing cannon.  The  disciples  had  been  living  in  the 
very  atmosphere  of  the  marvelous  and  supernatural 
for  three  years.  They  had  witnessed  miracle  after 
miracle  ;  they  had  seen  Lazarus  raised  from  the  dead, 
and  associated  with  him  without  fear  after  his  resur- 
rection. Surely,  after  witnessing  what  they  had,  no 
display  of  divine  power  ought  to  alarm  or  astonish 
them.  If  it  was  not  in  body  but  in  spirit  that  he  ap- 
peared, as  Prof.  Bush  taught,  and  as  our  modern 
Spiritualists  teach,  it  is  sufficient  to  say  that  this  is  ex- 
pressly contradicted  by  Christ  himself.  (See  Luke 
xxiv.  39,  and  John  xx.  27.)    Besides,  if  his  resurrec 


*6UPEENATUEAL  RELIGION.  77 

tion  and  appearance  was  of  the  spirit  only,  tlien  it 
comes  under  the  bead  of  those  appearances  of  the 
spirits  of  deceased  persons  to  the  living,  about  which 
we  hear  so  much  at  the  present  day,  and  passes  out 
of  the  domain  of  the  miraculous. 

Here,  now,  we  have  the  testimony  of  four  witnesses 
in  relation  to  the  great  crowning  eyent,  the  grand  cen- 
tral fact  of  supernatural  Christianity — an  occurrence 
which,  if  it  actually  took  place,  was  tbe  most  import- 
ant of  any  in  the  world's  history,  involving  the  inter- 
est of  every  human  being.  And  what  is  the  testi- 
mony? It  is  vague,  obscure,  conflicting,  inconsistent 
with  itself,  and  self -contradictory.  But  worse  still, 
even  if  it  were  not  so,  it  utterly  fails  to  establish  the 
vital  point  in  the  story,  viz. :  the  resurrection  of  Christ 
from  the  dead.  If  he  rose,  he  must  have  risen  in  the 
dark,  and  not  one  of  the  witnesses  was  present  when 
the  occurrence  took  place.  We  can  easily  believe  that 
he  was  placed  in  Joseph's  tomb,  but  we  have  no  proof 
that  lite  was  extinct  when  he  was  put  there.  It  may 
be  said  that  the  wound  in  his  side  must  have  produc- 
ed death.  This  is  a  gratuitous  assumption.  It  might 
have  been  the  means  of  his  resuscitation  from  a 
swoon.  Besides,  the  circumstance  of  the  wound  in 
the  side,  made  by  a  Roman  soldier,  is  narrated  only 
by  John,  and  totally  ignored  by  all  three  of  the  other 
witnesses.  We  may  believe  that  when  the  tomb  was 
visited  on  Sunday  morning,  the  body  was  not  there, 
but  this  does  not  prove  thai  a  miracle  was  wrought  to 
restore  it  to  life.  It  is  quite  probable  that  some  of 
his  followers  saw,  or  thought  they  saw,  him  after  his 
body  was  laid  in  the  tomb,  but  the  fact  that  he  was 
seen  by  nobody  else,  is  certainly  not  a  little  suspicious. 
Is  it  likely  that  God  would  work  a  miracle  to  attest  a 


78  THE  PRO  AND  CON  OF 

revelation,  and  then  leave  the  miracle  to  be  attested 
by  such  proof  ? 

It  may  be  said,  that  although  there  is  some  varia- 
tion in  these  accounts,  yet,  "circumstantial  variation 
with  substantial  agreement  is  characteristic  of  all  hu- 
man testimony."  So  it  is.  But  testimony  that  is 
wholly  false  may  h.ave  the  same  characteristic.  Be- 
sides, although  the  rule  is  good  as  relates  to  human 
testimony,  it  is  not  applicable  to  divine  testimony; 
and  we  are  here  dealing  with  what  is  supposed  to 
be  infallible  testimony.  Infallibility  does  not  admit 
of  degrees.  Divine  testimony  cannot  be  partly  true 
and  partly  false.  It  cannot  be  substantially  true  and 
circumstantially  untrue. 

If  we  scrutinize  the  accounts  of  miracles  contained 
in  the  New  Testament,  we  find  most  of  the  important 
ones  attended  by  the  same  or  similar  difficulties. 

1.  Miraculous  birth  of  Chnst.  Not  only  are  the  ac- 
counts of  it  inconsistent  with  themselves,  but  self-con- 
tradictory. Besides,  if  they  were  true,  and  generally 
believed  by  those  who  were  acquainted  with  him,  he 
must  have  started  out  on  his  mission  with  the  pres- 
tige of  a  miraculous  origin  in  his  favor.  But  tlirough- 
out  his  career  he  is  generally  spoken  of  as  the  son  of 
Joseph,  or  the  "carpenter's  son."  Although  frequent- 
ly reproached  on  account  of  his  low  birth  and  origin, 
he  does  not  reply  by  asserting  his  birth  of  a  virgin. 
No  retrospective  allusion  to  it  is  made  either  by  him- 
self or  his  disciples.  No  hint  of  it  is  given  in  the 
epistles  of  either  Paul,  Peter,  James,  Jude,  or  John. 
His  townsmen  were  the  most  stubborn  unbelievers  in 
him.  Even  his  own  brothers  and  sisters,  who  ought 
to  have  known  all  about  it,  did  not  accept  him  as  the 
Messiah,  and  on  one  occasion  were  about  to  arrest 


SUPERNATURAL  RELIGION.  79 

him  on  the  ground  that  he  was  a  *' lunatic"  and  was 
'*mad."  It  is  evident  they  had  never  heard  of  his 
miraculous  birth. 

2.  Flight  into  Egypt.  Matthew  relates  that  immediate- 
ly after  his  birth,  his  parents  fled  with  him  into  Egypt, 
where  they  remained  until  the  death  of  Herod.  Mat- 
thew is  the  only  New  Testament  writer  who  says  any- 
thing about  it,  and  he  is  contradicted  by  Luke,  who 
says  that  eight  days  after  his  birth  he  was  circumcised, 
and  after  the  purification  of  his  mother,  he  was  present- 
ed to  the  Lord  in  the  temple  at  Jerusalem,  from  which 
place  they  went  to  their  own  city,  Nazareth,  and 
dwelt  there. 

3.  Temptation.  Mark  says,  that  "immediately" 
after  his  baptism,  the  "spirit"  drove  him  into  the 
wilderness,  where  he  was  forty  days  tempted  of 
Satan.  John  wholly  ignores  the  temptation,  and 
says  that  the  third  day  after  his  baptism  he  attended  a 
wedding  in  Cana  of  Galilee.  From  Cana  he  went  to 
Capernium,  where  he  remained  some  days  and  then 
went  to  Jerusalem. 

4.  Turning  loater  into  wine.  If  this  miracle  really 
occurred,  it  is  strange  that  John  is  the  only  Evangel- 
ist who  has  recorded  it,  especially,  as  it  is  said  to  have 
been  the  first,  and  certainly  not  the  least  wonderful. 
Is  it  credible  that  God  should  work  a  miracle  in  order  to 
change  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  gallons  of  water 
into  wine  for  the  accomodation  of  men  who  had  al- 
ready drank  all  that  had  been  provided  for  the  occa- 
sion, by  their  host  ?  All  the  circumstances  go  to 
show  that  the  account  is  a  mere  legend. 

5.  TJie  transfiguration.  This  is  related  by  Matthew, 
Mark  and  Luke,  neither  of  whom  were  present  to  wit- 
ness it,  but  wholly  omitted  by  John,  who  is  said  to 


80  THE  PRO  AND  CON  OF 

have  been  an  eye-witness.  It  is  barely  alluded  to 
once,  or  is  supposed  to  be,  by  Peter,  but  not  mention- 
eu  by  James,  both  of  whom,  it  is  said,  were  present. 

(i.  Commission  of  the  Apostles.  We  are  told  that 
Christ,  just  before  his  ascension,  imparted  the  '*  Holy 
Ghost"  to  the  Apostles,  and  commissioned  them  to 
"go  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every 
creature."  And  yet  we  find  that  Peter  had  to  be  con- 
vinced of  the  propriety  of  preaching  to  the  Gentiles 
by  a  special  revelation  ;  and  that  he  was  called  to  ac- 
count lor  so  doing  by  his  fellow-disciples,  who  subse- 
quently, however,  became  convinced  that  he  was 
right. 

7.  Conversion  of  Paid. .  We  have  four  different  ac- 
counts of  this.  One  histarical  by  Luke,  in  Acts  9th ; 
i\fO reported  by  Luke;  one  in  Acts  32d,  the  other  in 
Acts  26th,  as  having  been  given  by  Paul;  and  the 
fourth  by  Paul  himself,  in  GaUtians,  1st  chapter.  In 
the  narrative  of  it  by  Luke — he  does  not  say  whether 
the  men  who  were  with  Paul  saw  the  "  great  light" 
witnessed  by  Paul  or  not.  But  he  says  they  heard  the 
"voice."  He  also  says,  that  although  Paul  was 
stricken  to  the  ground,  the  men  "stood  speechless." 
In  his  report  of  Paul's  speech  to  the  Jews  in  Jerusa- 
lem, he  makes  him  contradict  the  first  statement  by 
saying  that  the  men  "  saw  indeed  the  light  but  beard 
not  the  voice.'*  And  in  his  speech  to  Agrippa,  he 
contradicts  the  other,  by  affirming  that  not  only  he, 
but  all  the  men  who  were  with  him  were  prostrated. 
In  Acts  xxii.  10,  it  is  said  that  the  heavenly  voice  di- 
rected Paul  to  Damascus,  where  he  would  be  told 
what  was  required  of  him.  But  in  his  speech  to 
Agrippa,  he  says  this  same  "voice"  gave  him  his  com- 
mission as  an  apostle  at  the  very  time  when  the 


SUPERNATUKAL  RELIGION.  81 

*' light  was  seen,  and  the  voice  heard.  Again,  in  his 
address  to  Agrippa,  he  says,  that  immediately  after 
receiving  his  commission  he  commenced  preaching 
"unto  them  of  Damascus,  and  at  Jerusalem,  and 
throughout  all  the  coasts  of  Judea,  and  then  to  the 
Gentiles."  But  in  Galatians,  1st  chap.,  he  affirms  that 
he  did  not  confer  with  any  of  the  other  apostles;  did 
not  learn  the  gospel  from  them;  did  not  go  up  to 
Jerusalem;  but  "went  to  Arabia,  and  returned  again 
unto  Damascus.  Then  after  three  years  he  went  to 
Jerusalem  to  see  Peter. 

Finally,  these  writers  state  some  things,  which,  if 
true,  we  should  expect  would  be  corroborated  by 
other  testimony;  but  they  are  not. 

1.  The  taxing  of  tlie  Jews  hy  CcRsar  Agustus.  No 
Roman,  or  any  other  historian  has  mentioned  any- 
such  tax.  Judea  was  not  a  Roman  province  when 
Jesus  was  born;  nor  was  Cyrenius  Governor  of  Syria 
until  ten  or  twelve  years  after  that  event. 

2.  Tlie  slaughter  of  the  innocents  hy  Herod.  The  ac- 
count of  this  is  not  confirmed  by  any  historian;  not 
even  by  Josephus,  who  gives  a  full  history  of  the  life 
and  reign  of  Herod,  and  an  enumeration  of  his  crimes. 

3.  The  darkness,  the  quaking  of  the  earth;  the  rending 
the  rocks^  and  vail  of  the  temple^  at  tlie  crucifixion :  and 
the  earthquake  at  the  resurrection.  Not  only  is  most  of 
these  phenomena  unmentioned  by  all  of  the  Evangelists 
except  Matihew  )ut  no  allusion  is  made  to  these 
occurrences  anywhere  else  in  the  Nevv  Testament  ; 
nor  in  the  annals  of  any  nation  in  the  world. 

In  view  of  these  facts,  to  what  other  conclusion 
can  we  arrive,  but  that  the  theory  of  infallible  in- 
spiration has  no  foundation  in  truth?  Nor  is  it  prob- 
able that  the  testimony  we  have  been  reviewing  isihat 


82  THE  PBO  AND   CON  OF 

of  eye  and  ear  witnesses.  If  it  is,  their  memory  must 
have  been  very  defective.  That  the  New  Testament 
writers  were  mistaken  about  some  things  we  know. 
Paul  and  Barnabas  did  not  agree,  but  contended 
"  sharply  "  with  each  other.  Peter  and  Paul  dillered 
in  opinion,  and  Paul  rebuked  Peter  publicly,  charg- 
ing him  with  dissimulation  :  both  could  not  be  right. 
Infallible  men  could  not  but  agree.  Doubtless,  most 
of  the  events  recorded  by  the  writers  of  the  gospels 
had  some  foundation  in  truth;  but  they  were  not  re- 
corded as  they  actually  occurred,  but  as  they  were 
believed  to  have  occurred.  It  is  one  thing  to  see  an 
angel,  it  is  quite  another  to  believe  that  somebody  else 
has.  It  is  one  thing  for  a  phenomenon  to  occur,  it  is  a 
very  different  thing  to  believe  that  it  was  produced 
by  a  special  interposition  of  divine  power.  A  record 
of  the  phenomena,  a  history  of  which  we  have  in  the 
gospels,  was  not  made  at  the  time  they  occurred,  but 
long  after,  and  at  a  time  when  the  original  facts  had 
become  greatly  exaggerated.  Undoubtedly  the  New- 
Testament  contains  much  valuable  truth;  but  it  also 
contains  mistakes  and  errors.  It  is  not  therefore  the 
ultimate  standard  of  truth,  nor  on\j  nile  of  faith  and 
practice.  It  is  ours  to  separate  the  Hruth  from  tlie 
error;  to  sift  the  wheat  from  the  chaff,  and  to  con- 
serve the  one  and  burn  up  the  chaff  with  unquencha- 
ble fire. 

Were  the  gospels  as  we  now  have  them  writ- 
ten BY  THE  PERSONS  WHOSE  NAMES  THEY  BEAR  ? 

It  is  often  asserted  in  more  than  a  thousand  pulpits 
and  reiterated  and  repeated  again  and  again  in  the  most 
positive  terms,  that  the  proof  of  the  genuineness  of  our 
present  four  gospels  is  so  conclusive  and  overwhelm- 
ing, that  whoever  denies  it  must  be  either  very  igno- 


SUPERNATUKAL  RELiaiON.  83 

rnnt,  imbecile  or  dishonest.  In  order  to  show  upon 
Avliat  a  weak  foundation  this  sweeping  assertion  is 
made  to  rest,  it  is  only  necessary  to  examine  the 
all  edged  evidence. 

We  are  I  old  that  the  history  of  these  gospels  can  be 
traced  up  to  the  very  time  of  the  apostles  and  evan- 
gelists, and  that  the  authorship  of  them  by  the  writers 
to  whom  they  are  attributed  is  proved  by  the  testimony 
of  the  immediate  successors  of  the  apostles.  Now 
what  are  the  facts  ?  The  immediate  successors  of  the 
apostles  are  called  ''  apostolic  fathers, "and  those  who 
succeeded  them  are  called  "Christian  fathers."  The 
testimony  of  the  first  named  and  those  of  the  last 
named  who  lived  before  the  New  Testament  collec- 
tion was  made,  is  all  that  is  of  any  value.  The  apos- 
tolic fathers  are  Clemens,  Ignatius,  Polycarp,  Papi- 
us,  Barnabas,  and  Hermas.  The  first  Christian 
fathers  are  Justin  Martyr,  Tatian,  Irenaeus,  and  The- 
ophilus.  The  last  father  named,  lived  at  about  the 
time  when  the  gospels  were  collected  and  compiled 
with  the  other  books  of  the  New  Testament.  The 
New  Testament,  however,  was  not  declared  to  be  the 
standard  of  truth  by  authority  of  the  Chunih  until 
after  this.  Now  what  do  these  witnesses  say  on  the 
point  in  question  ? 

These  fathers  all  lived  in  the  first  century  of  the 
Christian  era.  If  during  that  century  there  existed 
four  difterent  biographers  of  the  life  and  teachings  of 
Christ  with  which  they  were  acquainted,  and  which 
they  accepted  as  authoritative,  we  should  expect  them 
to  make  frequent  use  of  them  as  authority  for  their 
own  teachings.  But  what  are  the  facts  ?  In  their 
writings  which  have  come  down  to  us,  we  find 
some  express  citations  of  some  of  the  epistles  of  the 


^4  THE  PRO  AND  CON  OP 

New  Testament  and  some  allusions  to  the  same  and 
also  citations  of  apocryphal  gospels,  yet  we  do  not 
find  either  of  the  four  gospels  cited,  alluded  to  or 
referred  to  by  name.  "We  find  a  few  passages  in 
their  writings  attributed  by  them  to  Christ,  corres- 
ponding in  part  to  passages  in  the  gospels;  bnt  whether 
these  passages  were  mere  traditional  sayings  which 
had  been  handed  down  orally,  or  were  contained  in 
writings  older  than  our  gospels,  they  do  not  inform 
us.  That  the  latter  is  the  fact  we  will  now  show  to 
be  probable. 

The  first  mention  of  Matthew's  gospel  by  name  is 
by  Papias,  the  first  Christian  father.  He  was  bishop 
of  Hierapolis,  and  lived  in  the  fore  part  of  the  second 
century.  He  says  that  Matthew  wrote  a  gospel  in 
Hebrew,  and  in  the  time  of  Origen  towards  the  mid- 
dle of  the  third  century  it  was  the  universal  belief  of 
the  Church  that  such  was  the  fact.  At  an  early  peri- 
od that  gospel  was  lost,  and  what  became  of  it  no  one 
has  told  us.  If  our  present  gospel  of  Matthew  is  a 
translation  of  it,  when,  where  or  by  whom  it  was 
translated  no  one  knows.  It  is  a  very  well  authenti- 
cated fact,  that  in  very  early  times  there  did  exist  a 
gospel  called  the  gospel  of  the  Nazarenes.  Origen 
nad  a  copy  of  it,  and  Jerome  translated  it ;  but  neither 
the  original  nor  the  translation  has  eome  down  to  us. 
It  is  generally  believed,  however,  that  it  was  not  the 
lost  gospel  of  Matthew,  although  it  somewhat  resem- 
bled it.  Papias  then  gives  us  no  certain  testimony  in 
regard  to  our  present  gospel  of  Matthew. 

Respecting  the  gospel  of  Mark,  the  historical  evi- 
dence of  its  genuineness  is  more  meager  still.  Papias 
says  that  Mark  went  with  Peter  to  Rome,  and  while 
there  acted  as  interpreter  for  Peter;  he  wrote  down 


SUPERNATURAL  IlELIGION.  85 

what  he  could  remember  of  what  Peter  told  him,  or 
what  he  heard  him  say.  Clement  of  Alexandria 
says,  that  Mark,  at  the  request  of  the  Church  at  Rome, 
wrote  a  gospel,  and  Peter,  when  informed  of  it,  hesi- 
tated about  giving  it  his  sanction;  but  finally  did  so 
in  obedience  to  a  vision.  Irenseus  says,  that  it  was 
after  the  death  of  Peter  that  Mark  wrote  his  gospel. 
Chrysostom  says,  that  after  writing  it  he  went  to 
Egypt.  Epiphanius  says  he  went  to  Egypt  by  the 
direction  of  Peter.  Here  now  the  testimony  is  so 
conflicting  and  inconsistent  with  itself  as  to  be  totally 
valueless. 

As  for  Luke's  gospel,  we  find  no  mention  of  it  by 
any  of  the  apostolic  fathers,  nor  by  any  of  the  Chris- 
tian fathers  before  the  last  of  the  second  century. 
The  same  is  true  of  the  gospel  of  John.  The  first 
Christian  writer  who  mentions  the  four  gospels  by 
name  and  attributes  their  authorship  to  Matthew, 
Mark,  Luke,  and  John,  was  Irenseus  who  lived  near 
the  end  of  the  second  century.  The  history  of  these 
gospels  can  be  traced  with  certainty  up  to  the  year 
368,  at  which  time  the  Council  of  Laodicea  included 
them  in  a  catalogue  of  the  New  Testament  books 
omitting  the  book  of  Revelations.  From  that  time 
they  may  be  traced  with  tolerable  certainty  up  to  the 
time  of  Irenseus.  From  that  time  upward  their  his- 
tory is  involved  in  obscurity  if  not  in  total  darkness. 

It  appears  then,  that  in  the  writings  of  the  apostolic 
and  Christian  fathers,  there  are  passages  which  resem- 
ble passages  in  our  four  gospels,  but  in  only  a  few 
instances  are  they  verbatim  resemblances.  Second, 
they  also  contain  passages  which  are  not  found  in  the 
gospels.  Third,  there  are  quotations  in  them  from 
what  were  afterwards  deemed  apocryphal  gospels. 


86  THE  PRO  AND  CON  OF 

Fourth,  in  none  of  tlie  early  writei-s  are  our  gospels 
cited  or  referred  to  by  name.  From  all  which  it  ap- 
pears that  the  first  fathers  might  have  denied  all  the 
passages  contained  in  their  writings  which  resembled 
passages  in  our  gospels  from  writings  which  existed 
before  our  gospels  were  written,  and  there  is  no 
proof  that  they  ever  saw  the  gospels  as  we  now  have 
iliem. 

But  suppose  we  had  the  unequivocal  testimony  of 
ihe  apostolic  and  Christian  fathers  to  the  genuineness 
of  the  gospels,  what  would  be  the  value  of  their  testi- 
mony ?  The  weight  of  evidence  must  be  estimated 
by  the  intelligence  and  veracity  of  the  witnesses. 
AYhat  then  is  the  reputation  of  these  fathers  for  intel- 
ligence and  veracity  ?  On  this  point  we  have  the 
testimony  of  the  great  ecclesiastical  historian,  Mo- 
sheim,  who  wrote  in  the  interest  of  Christianity,  that 
the  "  apostolic  fathers  and  the  other  writers,  who,  in 
the  infancy  of  the  Church,  employed  their  pens  in  the 
cause  of  Christianity,  were  neither  remarkable  for 
their  learning  nor  for  their  eloquence.  On  the  con- 
trar}',  they  express  the  most  pious  and  admirable  sen- 
timents in  the  plainest  and  most  illiterate  style."  The 
writings  of  these  men  show,  conclusively,  that  many 
of  them  were  weak  men;  that  all  of  them  were  ex- 
u-emely  credulous;  that  they  endorsed  not  only  all  the 
'uarvelous  stories  in  circulation  in  their  day  about 
Christ  and  his  apostles,  but  all  the  extravagant  fic- 
tions of  the  Greek  and  Roman  mythology.  They 
sometimes  employed  known  falsehood  in  support  of 
I  heir  cause;  and  forged  books  to  prove  their  doctrines. 
]\Ios]ieim  says,  the  Christian  fathers  adopted  and  acted 
upon  the  maxim,  that  ''it  is  lawful  to  lie  for  the 
Uuth."    Whatever  weight  we  attach  to  their  testi- 


SUPERNATURAL  RELIGION.  87 

mony  it  is  equally  good  for  the  apocryphal  writings 

and  for  the  Pagan  mythology. 

In  the  absence  of  any  historical  proof  of  the  genu- 
ineness of  the  gospels  we  are  led  to  the  inquiry,  is 
there  any  internal  evidence  which  is  sufficient  to  es- 
tablish them  as  genuine  ?  Here  the  evidence  is  all 
the  other  way,  as  the  following  considerations  go  to 
show.  First,  the  gospels  of  Matthew,  Mark,  and 
Luke,  so  far  as  they  relate  to  the  addresses,  parables 
and  miracles  of  Christ,  bear  a  remarkable  resemblance 
to  each  other.  Not  only  do  they  relate  the  same 
things,  but  in  many  instances  they  relate  them  in  the 
same  or  nearly  the  same  words.  Now  this  resem- 
blance is  in  the  Greek  gospels,  whereas,  Christ  spoke 
in  the  language  in  use  in  Palestine,  and  his  words, 
therefore,  had  to  be  translated  into  Greek  by  his 
biographers.  Now  it  is  incredible  that  three  inde- 
pendent writers  should  report  the  sayings  of  Christ, 
and  translate  his  words  into  a  diflferent  language  from 
that  in  which  he  spake,  and  that  there  should  be  this 
verbal  agreement  in  their  report.  Second,  in  the  in- 
troduction to  Luke's  gospel,  he  addresses  himself  to  a 
personage  whom  he  calls  "most  excellent  Theophil- 
us."  In  those  times  this  title  belonged  only  to  per- 
sons of  rank  and  distinction.  It  is  remarkable  that  in 
all  the  writings  of  the  early  Christians,  we  find  no 
other  mention  of  such  a  personage  until  the  time  of 
Theophilus,  bishop  of  Antioch,  who  lived  near  the 
close  of  the  second  century.  He  is  said  to  have  been 
a  principal  actor  in  collecting  and  arranging  the  books 
of  the  New  Testament  and  putting  them  in  their 
present  form.  It  is  highly  probable  that  the  four 
gospels  were  compiled  from  previously  existing  writ- 
ings about  that  time,  and  if  so,  they  could  not  have 


88  THE  PRO  AND  CON  OF 

been  written  by  the  Evangelists  in  their  present  form. 
Of  John's  gospel,  it  may  be  said  it  is  quite  unlike 
either  of  the  others.  This  unlikeness  may  be  seen  in 
the  following  particulars.  1.  In  the  fourth  gospel 
there  is  no  record  of  the  numerous  parables  found  in 
the  other  three,  nor  any  intimation  that  Christ  adopt- 
ed that  mode  of  instruction.  2.  The  discourses  at- 
tributed to  Christ  in  the  one,  are  entirely  different 
from  those  in  the  others.  In  John's  gospel  they  are 
lengthy,  systematic,  enigmatical,  dogmatic,  and 
abound  in  self-assertion.  In  the  others  they  are  frag- 
mentary, plain,  practical,  and  exhibit  a  spirit  of  meek- 
ness and  humility.  3.  The  style  of  the  discourses  in 
John  is  entirely  different  from  those  in  Matthew, 
Mark,  and  Luke.  This  difference  is  so  great  as  to 
justify  us  in  saying  that  if  Christ  spoke  as  the  first 
three  gospels  represent  him,  he  could  not  have  spoken 
as  John  represents  him,  and  visa  versa.  4.  John 
omits  all  mention  of  the  miraculous  cures  of  demoni- 
acs, to  which  the  other  writers  seem  to  have  attached 
so  much  importance.  There  are  other  differences 
which  might  be  pointed  out,  but  those  above  are  suf- 
ficient for  our  present  purpose.  There  is  but  one 
clue  to  the  authorship  of  John's  gospel,  and  that  is  the 
fact  that  a  comparison  of  the  gospel  with  the  first  of 
the  three  epistles  attributed  to  John  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament, shows  that  the  style  and  often  the  very  ideas 
and  words  attributed  to  John  the  Baptist  and  Christ 
in  the  gospel,  correspond  exactly  with  the  style,  ideas 
and  words  oi  liiat  epistle.  From  this  fact  we  infer 
that  whoever  was  the  author  of  the  epistle  was  the 
author  of  the  gospel  also.  Now,  although  the  second 
and  third  epistles  of  John  were  considered  doubtful 
for  a  long  time  by  the  Church;  the  first  was  always 


SUPERNATURAL  RELIGION.  8'J 

received  as  genuine.  This  points  to  John  as  the 
author  of  the  fourth  gospel.  But  if  John  was  the 
author  of  it,  was  it  originally  written  hi  the  form  in 
which  we  now  have  it  ?  We  know  that  an  unknown 
writer  added  to  it,  (see  John  xxi.  24r-25,)  and  to  what 
extent  he  might  have  further  tampered  with  it  no  one 
knows. 

But  suppose  that  each  of  the  gospels  could  be  proved 
to  have  been  written  by  their  reputed  authors,  could 
we  implicitly  rely  on  their  testimony  ?  A  few  con- 
siderations will  lead  us  to  see  that  we  could  not.  1. 
The  reputed  authors  were  ignorant  and  superstitious, 
predisposed  to  believe  in  the  marvelous,  and  regarded 
all  the  phenomena  of  nature  as  produced  by  a  special 
divine  providence.  2.  They  were  not  eye  and  ear 
witnesses  of  all  that  they  record.  They  relate  occur- 
rences which  took  place  when  they  could  not  have 
been  present.  For  example,  the  remarkable  circum- 
stances attendarit  on  the  birth  of  Christ,  both  before 
and  after  the  event.  The  temptation  of  Christ,  the 
transfiguration  of  C](jrist,  related  by  Matthew,  Mark, 
and  Luke,  whb  were  not  present,  and  wholly  omitted 
by  John  who  is  said  to  have  witnessed  it.  The  mar- 
velous circumstances  connected  with  the  birtii  of  John 
the  Baptist;  the  report  of  the  preaching  of  the  Bap 
tist;  the  prayer  of  Christ  in  Gethseniane;  Peter's  de- 
nial of  Christ;  the  dream  of  Pilate's  wife;  the  con- 
versation between  Pilate  and  the  priests;  that  between 
Judas  and  the  priests,  and  that  between  the  soldiers 
and  priests;  and  finally  the  alleged  fact  of  the  resur- 
rection of  Christ.  3.  The  gospels  were  written  in  the 
interest  of  a  cause  which  the  writers  had  espoused 
and  which  they  were  desirous  to  promote.  Now  we 
cannot  rely  implicitly  on  the  statements  of  historians, 


90  THE  PRO  AKD  CON  OP 

who,  we  know,  were  biased  and  prejudiced  in  their 
minds,  and  who  derived  their  information  not  from 
personal  observation,  but  received  it  from  common 
report.  We  are  all  of  us  acquainted  with  men  whose 
intelligence  and  honesty  we  would  not  question;  but 
whose  statements  in  relation  to  an  extraordinary  oc- 
currence made  under  the  circumstances  in  which  the 
writers  of  the  gospels  were  placed,  we  could  not  ac- 
cept. Unless  these  writers  were  more  than  human, 
they  certainly  were  liable  to  be  mistaken.  They  con- 
stantly misunderstood  and  misapprehended  Christ's 
words  while  he  was  living,  and  what  assurance  have 
we  that  they  did  not  do  the  same  thing  after  he  was 
dead  ? 

It  may  be  said  that  these  writers  were  infallibly  in- 
spired, and  thus  preserved  from  all  liability  to  err. 

The  question  whether  they  were  or  not,  will  be  next 
considered. 


Were  the  writ^trs  of  the  four  gospels  usvaii- 

LIBLY     inspired  ? 

The  affirmative  of  this  question  is  often  asserted  in 
the  most  positive  terms,  and  it  has  been  accepted  as 
truth  very  generally  in  the  Christian  world.  It  only 
requires  the  statement  of  a  few  facts  to  show  that  it 
is  a  wholly  gratuitous  assumption. 

1.  There  is  no  proof  that  either  God  or  Christ,  ever 
directed  or  authorized  them  to  write  the  books  in 
question. 

2.  There  is  no  proof  that  they  had  the  most  distant 
idea  that  these  books  would  be  collected,  compiised 
in  a  volume,  and  transmitted  to  succeeding  genera- 
tions. 


SUPERNATURAL  RELIGION.  91 

8.  They  nowhere  assert  or  intimate  that  they  poss- 
essed such  inspiration. 

It  may  be  said  that  if  they  do  not  make  this  claim 
for  themselves,  Paul  makes  it  for  them,  where  he  as- 
serts that,  "All  scripture  is  given  by  inspiration  of 
God."  We  reply  that  Paul's  declaration  has  nothing 
to  do  with  the  question  before  us,  first,  because  it  says 
not  one  word  about  infallible  inspiration,  and  second, 
because  when  he  made  the  declaration  the  gospels 
had  not  been  written,  and  were  therefore  not  in  exist- 
ence. We  may  be  told  that  Christ  promised  to  his 
disciples  the  aid  of  the  "  Holy  Spirit,"  which  would 
direct  them  what  to  say  in  all  emergencies,  and  "  lead 
them  into  all  truth."  Without  questioning  whether 
Christ  made  such  a  promise  or  not,  and  taking  it  for 
granted  that  he  did,  we  proceed  to  inquire  ;  was  the 
promise  fulfilled  to  the  extent  of  making  the  disciples 
infallible  ?  The  Holy  Spirit  we  are  informed  in  the 
the  gospels  was  bestowed  upon  the  disciples  between 
the  time  of  Christ's  crucifixion  and  his  ascension  into 
heaven.  From  this  time  forward  were  the  disciples 
infallible  ?  The  numerous  contradictions,  discrepen- 
cies,  and  mistakes  contained  in  the  gospels,  some  of 
which  we  have  pointed  out  in  this  book,  prove  eitlier 
that  they  were  not  written  by  the  disciples,  or  if  they 
were,  they  were  not  infallibly  inspired.  Besides,  when 
the  questions  came  before  the  disciples  of  whether  the 
gospel  should  be  preached  to  the  Gentiles,  and  whether 
the  Gentiles  should  observe  the  ceremonial  law  of 
Moses,  they  settled  them  not  by  authority  of  infallible 
inspiration,  but  the  first  question  was  settled  in  Peter's 
mind  by  a  special  vision,  and  the  other  by  calling  a 
Council  of  the  disciples  to  consider  the  question,  to 
deliberate  upon  it,  to  discuss   it,  and  after  different 


92  THE  PRO  AND  CON   OF 

opinions  had  been  expressed  on  it,  it  was  finaly  de- 
cided in  accordance  with  a  proposal  made  by  James 
who  occupied  a  middle  ground  on  the  subject.  Now, 
if  the  disciples  were  conscious  of  the  possession  of 
infallibility,  or  if  they  believed  themselves  to  be  infal- 
lible, hers  was  a  fine  opportunity  for  them  to  assert 
it,  and  to  make  a  display  of  it,  but  they  seem  not  to 
have  thought  of  any  such  thing. 

The  failure  in  the  fulfilment  of  this  promise  said 
to  have  been  made  to  the  disciples,  is  paralleled  by 
the  failure  of  other  promises  of  a  similar  nature. 
The  writers  of  the  gospels,  state  that  Christ  promised 
in  the  most  emphatic  and  unequivocal  manner  that 
after  his  ascension  into  heaven  he  would  return  to 
earth  during  the  life  time  of  some  at  least  of  his  disci- 
ples, that  then  he  would  be  seated  upon  "the  throne 
of  his  glory,  and  his  disciples  should  also  be  seated  " 
on  twelve  thrones  judging  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel. 
The  generation  then  living  was  not  to  pass  away  be- 
fore this  promise  was  to  be  fulfiled.  (Matt,  x,  23,  xiv, 
29-35  ;  M^irk  xiii,  28-31  ;  Lukexxi,  27-32  ;  Matt,  xvi, 
27,  28  ;  MaTk  viii,  38.  and  ix,  1  ;  Luke  ix,  26,  27  ; 
Matt,  xix,  28.)  In  the  Epistles  of  the  New  Testament 
this  coming  of  Christ  is  often  alluded  to,  and  the  be- 
lief expressed  that  it  was  to  take  place  during  the 
natural  life  of  the  writers.  (See  2  Thes.  i,  6-10  ; 
1  Cor.  xi,  6  ;  1  Tim.  vi,  14  ;  James  v,  7,  8  ;  1  Thess. 
iii,  13,  and  v,  23  ;  2  Thess.  iii,  5 ;  Heb.  x,  25,  aud  37  ; 
1  John  ii,  28  ;  1  Thess.  v,  1-4,  and  iv,  13-17  ;  1  Cor. 
XV,  51,  52  ;  1  Peter  vii,  7.)  It  is  a  well  known  fact 
that  the  early  Christians  lived  in  the  constant  expec- 
tation of  the  speedy  return,  or  second  advent  of  Christ  to 
this  world,  at  which  time  the  dead  were  to  be  raised, the 
living  changed  from  mortality  to  immortality,  Christ's 


SUPERNATURAIi  RELIGION.  93 

kingdom  established  here  on  earth,  and  the  saints  to 
rule  and  reign  with  him  in  his  kingdom. 

Another  promise  said  to  have  been  made  by  Christ 
was  that  the  believers  in  his  gospel  should  be  endowed 
with  the  power  of  casting  out  devils,  of  speaking  with 
new  tongues,  of  being  invulnerable  to  the  poison  of 
serpents,  or  even  of  the  most  deadly  poison  drank  by 
them.  They  should  also  be  able  to  restore  the  sick  to 
health  by  the  laying  on  of  hands.  See  Mark  xvi,  17, 
18. 

Now  as  there  has  been  no  such  personal  second  ad- 
vent of  Christ,  as  the  dead  have  not  been  raised,  nor 
the  living  changed,  as  no  thrones  have  been  estab- 
lished for  the  occupancy  of  the  disciples,  and  as  be- 
lievers in  the  gospel  have  not  the  power  to  do  the 
things  which  were  predicted,  therefore  these  promises 
have  not  been  fulfilled.  It  follows  that  either  Christ 
made  no  such  promises,  or  if  he  did,  he  was  mistaken 
in  his  predictions.  Take  whichever  horn  of  the  di- 
lema  we  may,  it  follows  that  the  gospel  writers  were 
not  infallibly  inspired.  Either  they  were  mistaken  in 
attributing  these  promises  to  Christ,  or  they  were  mis- 
taken in  believing  that  they  would  be  fulfilled. 


What  we  Do  and  what  we  Do  Not  know  about 
THE  Bible. 

The  Old  Testament  is  a  collection  of  Jewish  sacred 
books.  The  number  of  them  is  39.  They  were  writ- 
ten by  difierent  authors  and  at  difieient  periods  of 
time.  At  what  particular  time  the  collection  was 
made,  and  who  the  writers  were,  as  also,  the  precise 
time  when  they  were  written  we  do  not  know.  We 
are  equally  ignorant  in  regard  to  the  persons  by  whom 


94  THE  PRO  AND   CON  OF 

the  collection  was  made.  Some  of  the  books  are  more 
than  2500  years  old.  During  the  times  of  Samuel, 
David,  and  Solomon,  literature  began  to  flourish, 
records  were  made,  h  stories  and  narratives  were 
written, and  songs  and  hymns  were  composed.  The  first 
four  books  of  the  Pentateuch  originated  in  the  time 
of  Solomon,  1019  years  before  Christ,  but  the  Penta- 
teuch was  not  completed  until  the  time  of  Josiah  641 
before  Christ.  It  was  commenced  432  years  after  the 
death  of  Moses,  and  finished  in  the  form  in  which  we 
now  have  it  810  years  after  his  death.  The  whole  five 
books  are  in  great  part  compilations  from  previously 
existing  documents  of  the  writers  of  which  nothing  is 
known.  The  last  book  of  the  Old  Testament  was 
written  397  before  Christ.  The  Hebrew  Bible  abounds 
in  repetitions  of  history,  narratives,  genealogies,  laws, 
oracles,  proverbs,  sentences,  and  thoughts.  If  these 
repetitions  were  expunged  from  it,  it  would  reduce 
the  volume  to  nearly  one-half  its  present  size.  The 
style  of  composition  of  these  books  is  very  different. 
In  some  of  them  it  is  pure,  grand,  and  beautiful,  in 
others  it  is  low,  vulgar,  mean,  and  poor.  During  2551 
years  these  books  existed  only  in  manuscript  and  dur- 
ing the  entire  history  of  the  Jews  as  a  nation  the  care 
of  them  was  committed  to  the  priests.  After  the 
return  of  the  Jews  from  the  Babylonian  captivity  518 
years  before  Christ,  they  ceased  to  speak  the  Hebrew 
language,  and  from  that  time  until  130  before  Christ, 
a  period  of  388  years  these  books  were  locked  up  in  a 
dead  language,  and  could  be  read  only  by  a  very  few 
of  the  Jewish  people.  The  books  were  originaly 
written  in  continuous  letters  and  lines,  without  an}' 
division  into  chapters,  sentences,  or  words,  and  with- 
out punctuation.     The  work  of  copying  them  was  a 


SUPERNATURAL  RELIGION.  95 

difficult  and  laborious  task  and  even  the  readin«^  of 
them  was  attended  with  great  difficulty.  Only  a  few 
copies  were  extant  and  these  were  held  to  be  of  great 
pecuniary  value,  placing  them  beyond  the  reach  of 
the  mass  of  the  people.  In  regard  to  the  preservation 
of  these  books  and  the  prevention  of  them  from  cor- 
ruption the  Jews  have  a  variety  of  traditions  some  of 
which  are  fabulous,  others  contradictory,  and  none  of 
them  reliable.  The  first  mention  of  the  collection  of 
these  books,  as  a  whole,  was  by  Jesus',  the  Son  of  Si- 
rach,  130  before  Christ.  The  first  translation  of  the 
books  into  another  language  was  commenced  about 
286  before  Christ,  and  finished  130  before  Christ.  This 
was  a  Greek  version  called  thft  Alexandrian,  or  ver- 
sion of  the  Seventy.  It  was  the  one  in  use  in  the  time 
of  Christ  and  his  Apostles,  and  quoted  from  by  them. 
This  version  was  followed  by  several  other  Greek 
versions.  In  the  year  405  of  the  Christian  era  Jerome 
finished  a  Latin  translation  from  the  Hebrew.  From 
this  time  we  will  consider  the  Old  Testament  in  con- 
nection with  the  Christian  Scriptures. 

The  New  Testament  is  a  collection  of  books  written 
during  the  first  two  centuries  of  the  Christian  era. 
They  are  in  number  27.  Some  of  them  are  historical 
but  most  are  epistolary.  They  were  written  by  differ- 
ent persons  at  different  times  and  places.  But  ex- 
cepting most  of  the  epistles  attributed  to  Paul,  and  a 
few  attributed  to  other  writers,  we  do  not  positively 
know  tbe  precise  time  when,  place  where,  nor  per- 
sons by  whom  they  were  written.  Most  if  not  all  the 
epistles  were  written  before  the  gospels.  In  regard 
to  the  origin,  authorship,  and  history  of  the  historical 
books,  i.  e.  the  four  go?pels,  but  little  is  knotvn  with 
certainty,  up  to  the  time  when  they  we^  separated 


96  THE  PRO   AND   CON  OF 

from  a  number  of  writings  relating  to  the  same  sul» 
ject,  which  was  near  the  end  of  the  second  century. 
As  Mr.Fioude  well  observes,  ''  there  exists  no  ancieii! 
writings  whatever,  of  such  vast  moment  to  mankiiul 
of  which  so  little  can  be  authentically  known."  We 
may  add  that  there  is  no  part  of  human  history  of 
equal  importance  that  is  involved  in  so  much  obscur- 
ity as  that  which  relates  to  the  birth,  life  and  death, 
of  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  life  and  death,  of  his  Apos- 
tles. Notwithstanding  the  vast  amount  of  time  and 
labor  which  learned  men  have  expended  in  endeavor- 
ing to  clear  up  the  subject,  their  eiforts  thug  far  have 
been  unavailing.  It  is  known,  however,  that  as  Mosh- 
iem  s.iys,  "  not  long  after  the  ascension  of  Christ,  sev- 
eral histories  of  his  life  and  doctrines,  full  of  pious 
frauds  and  fabulous  wonders,  were  composed  by  per- 
sons whose  intentions  perhaps,  were  not  bad,  but 
whose  writings  discovered  the  greatest  superstition 
and  ignorance.  Nor  was  this  all  ;  productions  ap- 
peared which  were  imposed  upon  the  world  by  fraud- 
ulent men,  as  the  writings  of  the  holy  apostles."  It 
is  equally  well  know  that  at  a  very  early  period  in  the 
history  of  the  Christian  church  difierences  of  opinion 
sprung  up  among  Christians,  occasioning  the  most 
fierce  and  bitter  controversies,  and  that  the  defenders 
of  their  respective  opinions  did  not  scruple  to  forge 
whole  books  and  ascribe  their  authorship  to  Christ  or 
some  of  his  apostles,  in  order  to  prove  their  doctrines. 
The  books  of  the  New  Testament  were  selected  from 
a  number  of  other  gospels  and  epistles,  but  at  what 
particular  time  or  by  whom,  is  not  certainly  known. 
Irena^uswho  lived  A.  D.  182,  is  the  first  of  the  Fath- 
ers who  nq^ntions  the  four  gospels  by  name.  In  the 
year  368  the  Council  of  Laodicea  gave  a  catalogue  of 


SUPERNATURAL  RELIGION.  97 

all  books  in  the  New  Testament.  In  397  at  the  third 
council  of  Carthage  the  books  of  the  Old  and  New 
Testament,  as  they  now  stand  in  the  Bible  were  pro- 
nounced canonical,  and  the  reading  of  the  apocryphal 
books  in  the  churches  was  forbidden.  At  the  council 
of  Chalcedon  in  401  the  New  Testament  was  used  as 
the  ultimate  standard  of  appeal,  and  a  decree  of  Pope 
Innocent  1,  about  that  time,  confirming  the  selection 
which  had  been  previously  made,  established  the 
canon  as  it  now  stands. 

Most  of  the  original  manuscripts  from  which  our 
New  Testament  books  were  selected  have  long  been 
lost.  All  that  are  now  extant  have  been  collected  and 
published  in  a  book  called  the  Apocryphal  New  Tes- 
tament. This  book  is  about  the  same  size  as  the  one 
supposed  to  be  genuine. 

During  1200  years  or  until  the  art  of  printing  was 
discovered  the  books  of  the  New  Testament  were  in 
manuscript  only  and  mainly  in  the  hands  of  the  cler- 
gy. The  first  translation  of  the  Bible  into  English 
was  by  Wicklifle  in  1360.  This  was  not  printed  ex- 
cept the  New  Testament  part,  and  that  was  not  done 
until  1731.  The  first  printed  Bible  in  English  was 
that  ot  Tindal  and  Coverdale  in  lo2G.  Our  present 
English  version  was  made  by  order  ofKing  James  I  and 
plinted  in  1613. 

The  Bible  as  a  whole  has  been  frequently  copied, 
numerous  translations  have  been  made  of  it  and  it  has 
been  printed  in  all  the  principle  languages  in  the 
world. 

The  division  of  the  Bible  into  chapters  was  made 
by  Hugo,  who  lived  about  A.  D.  1240.  The  division 
of  the  chapters  into  verses  was  by  Mordecai  Nathan, 
»  Jewish  Rabbi  in  1475. 


98  THE  mo  AND   CON  OF 

Our  English  Bible  was  translated  not  from  the  orig- 
inal manuscripts  of  the  writers,  but  from  copies  of  the 
original,  none  of  which  in  the  Old  Testament  were 
older  than  the  9th  century  of  the  Christian  era,  and 
none  of  the  New  Testament  older  than  the  sixth  cen- 
tury. 

Notwithstanding  the  opinion  which  for  a  long  time 
prevailed,  that. in  a  mysterious  and  miraculous  man- 
ner God  had  taken  care  to  preserve  the  inviolable  pu- 
rity of  the  text  of  the  Bible,  or  if  not  that,  at  least  the 
purity  of  the  original,  the  investigations  of  learned 
men  have  proved  that  among  all  the  copies  of  the  orig- 
inal Hebrew  of  the  Old  Testament,  and  those  of  the 
Greek  of  the  New  Testament,  there  is  not  one  that  is 
perfect,  or  any  two  of  either  that  exactly  agree.  And 
among  all  the  translations  and  versions,  whether  of 
private  individuals  or  of  authorized  todies  of  men, 
there  is  not  two  that  are  alike.  Kennicott  and  De 
Rossi  spent  thirty-six  years  in  collecting  ancient  He- 
brew and  Samaritan  manuscripts  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment. They  obtained  and  compared  more  than  1200 
copies,  and  De  Rossi  published  four  quarto  volumes 
of  various  readings  found  in  about  -iOO  manuscripts 
which  he  examined.  The  variations  amounted  to 
over  130,000. 

The  New  Testament  contains  seven  books,  the  au- 
thenticity of  which  was  disputed  for  a  long  time  by 
man}'  in  the  early  Christian  church,  and  Dr.  Lardner 
says,  they  are  "not  fit  to  be  alledged  as  affording  suf- 
ficent  proof  of  any  doctrine."  These  books  are  He- 
brews, James,  2ud  and  3d  John,  Jude,  i>nd  Peter,  and 
Revelations.  It  also  contains  passages  which  by  some 
learned  men  are  deemed  to  be  spurious.  Such  as 
Matt,  i,  17-25,  and  whole  of  2nd  chapter  ;  the  Isl  and 


SUPERNATURAL  RELIGION.  99 

2nd  chapters  of  Luke,  except  the  four  first  verses,  and 
many  other  accounts  and  verses  which  are  regarded 
as  interpolations  into  the  original  text. 

In  our  common  English  Bible  there  are  a  great 
number  of  additions  which  are  not  contained  in  the 
original,  some  of  which  at  least  are  liable  to  mislead 
the  reader.  Such  are  all  the  words  printed  in  italics. 
These  were  supplied  by  the  translators.  So  also  the 
headings  of  the  chapters,  and  in  the  upper  margin  of 
the  pages. 

Finally,  the  work  of  collecting,  arranging,  copying 
and  translating  the  books  of  the  Bible  has  been  done 
by  human  hands,  by  uninspired  and-  fallible  men; 
and  by  human  autliority  alone  it  has  been  pronounced 
infallible  in  its  teachings. 

Obscurity  of  the  Beblb. 

That  the  Bible  is  very  obscure  in  its  teachings  is 
generally  admitted  by  those  who  know  most  ubout  it. 
No  book  was  ever  published  to  which  such  a  variety 
of  interpretations  have  been  given.  Thousands  of 
commentaries  have  been  written  upon  it,  by  men  of 
equal  talent  and  learning,  no  two  of  which  give  it  the 
same  exposition.  Out  of  the  millions  of  believers  in 
the  infallibility  of  its  inculcations,  it  is  not  probable 
that  any  two  could  be  found  who  would  agree  in  their 
understanding  of  its  contents.  This  is  not  wonderful 
if  we  consider  that  the  books  were  composed  bv  some 
forty  difterent  authors,  who  lived  in  dilii^rent  ages  of 
the  world,  and  if  we  allow  that  the  writers,  like  all 
other  men,  were  liable  to  entertain  coullicting  views 
and  to  be  mistaken  in  their  opinions.  But  on  the  sup- 
position that  they  wrote  us  they  were  dUec>ed  by  ua- 


100  THE  PRO  AND  CON  OF 

erring  ins[>iration,  it  is  truly  surprising  that  they  have 
not  written,  so  as  to  be  clearly  and  definitely  under- 
stood. What  kind  of  revelation  is  that  which  requires 
thousands  of  elaborate  tomes  to  explain  it,  and  then 
when  the  explanation  is  given  requires  a  whole  library 
of  books  to  explain  the  explanation  ?  A  few  of  the 
Biblical  writers  seem  to  claim  some  sort  of  inspiration, 
but  precisely  what  they  meant  by  it  we  do  not  know. 
We  have  plent^^  of  men  in  our  day  who  talk  very 
much  as  the  ancient  prophets  did.  They  tell  us  of 
what  the  Lord  has  saiJ  to  them,  and  come  to  us  with 
messages  which  they  claim  to  be  direct  from  God. 
They  seem  to  attribute  their  impressions,  concerning 
religion  to  the  spc^cial  agency  of  God.  In  this  they 
may  be  very  honest  and  yet  be  mistaken,  and  so  might 
the  Scripture  writers,  referred  to. 

The  Bible  has  been  very  aptly  compared  to  a  box  of 
lettered  wooden  blocks.  These  blocks  by  being  prop- 
erly arranged  can  be  made  to  express  anything  the 
manipulator  desires  to  have  expressed.  So  by  arrang- 
ing certain  texts  of  Scripture,  the  Bible  may  be  made 
to  teach  nearly  all  of  the  conflicting  creeds  of  the  nu- 
merous Christian  sects.  The  style  of  the  Bible  is  of- 
ten highly  figurative.  It  abounds  in  hyperboles, 
tropes,  similes,  parables  and  symbols.  This  makes 
it  susceptible  of  a  variet}^  of  interpretations,  and  re 
ders  the  real  meaning  of  the  writers  difiicult  to  ascer- 
tain. The  celebrated  John  Leland  was  a  distinguish- 
ed and  very  successful  Baptist  clergyman  for  more 
than  sixty  years.  During  ail  this  time  he  was  a  close 
student  of  the  Bible.  Pie  availed  himself  of  all  the 
means  in  his  power  to  ascertain  the  true  import  of  its 
teachings.  He  counted  every  book,  chapter,  verse, 
word,  and  letter  between  its  lids.    When  eighty-six 


SUPERNATURAL   RELIGION.  101 

years  of  age  he  made  the  following  candid  confession  ; 
"If  God  formed  me  with  talents  to  be  an  expositor  of 
the  holy  scriptures,  I  have  criminally  neglected  to  im- 
prove the  talents  which  lie  gave  me ,  for  now  when  I 
am  eighty-six  years  old,  I  have  not  the  least  under- 
standing of  the  last  nine  chapters  of  Ezekiel  ;  and  the 
same  is"  true  of  a  great  part  of  the  Bible.  I  read  com- 
mentators, but  remain  ignorant.  My  prayer  is  that  I 
may  know  and  practice  the  truth,  but  I  remain  under 
the  cloud,  groveling  in  the  dark."  See  the  writings  of 
Elder  John  Leland,  page  783. 

WHAT   SHALL   WE   DO   WITH  THE   BIBLE? 

Select  from  it  all  that  is  valuable,  especially  the 
grand  and  glorious,  theoretical  and  practical  truths 
which  it  contains  ;  bind  these  into  a  volume,  publish 
an  immense  edition  of  the  same,  and  put  a  copy  into 
the  hands  of  every  human  being.  Treasure  up  the 
remainder  and  carefully  preserve  it  as  a  relic  of  the 
folly  and  superstition  of  past  ages. 

BIBLICAL  PACTS   WORTH   REMEMBERrNG. 

1.  The  Bible  contains  but  two  definitions  of  God. 
These  are,  "  God" is  a  spirit,"  *'  God  is  loye." 

2.  The  word  inspiration  occurs  but  twice  in  tlie 
Bible.  Once  it  is  applied  to  the  human  understand- 
ing, and  once  to  the  Jewish  sacred  Scriptures. 

3.  The  word  religion  is  not  contained  in  the  Old 
Testament,  and  occurs  but  three  times  in  the  New. 
The  word  religious  occurs  twice,  and  only  in  the  New 
Testament. 

4.  There  is  b.ut  one  definition  of  religion  in  the 
Bible,  and  that  is  in  James  i,  27. 


102  THE  PRO   AND   CON   OF 

5.  The  phrase  "  born  again,"  occurs  but  three  times 
in  the  Bible.  It  was  used  twice  by  Christ  and  once 
by  Peter. 

6.  The  Jews  had  no  definite  ideas  on  the  subject  of 
a  future  state  of  existence,  nor  of  the  existence  of  a 
Devil,  and  had  no  proper  names  for  any  of  the  angels 
until  they  were  carried  captive  to  Babylon.  They  de- 
rived their  opinions  on  these  subjects  not  from  their 
sacred  scriptures  but  from  the  Magian  religion. 

A  Chapter  of  Definitions. 

God.  The  Power  that  controls  the  universe  of  mat- 
ter and  mind.  The  magnum  bonum,  or  sum  of  all 
power  ;  the  summum  bonum,  or  sum  of  all  good; 
the  self-existent  cause  of  all  causes  and  effects. 

Deail.  That  which  stands  in  the  way  of  hum^n 
happiness. 

Heaven.  A  state  or  condition  of  the  mind  and  feel- 
ings consequent  on  the  consciousness  of  moral  recti- 
tude. 

Hell.  Self  reproach  and  condemnation  for  doing 
intentionally  what  we  know,  or  believe  to  be  wrong. 

Moral  Agency.  The  power  of  choosing  to  do 
what  we  believe  to  be  right  in  preference  to  doing 
what  we  think  to  be  wrong. 

Free  Agency.  A  self-determining  power  claimed 
by  some  to  be  possessed  by  man  by  which  he  is  enabled 
to  act  in  opposition  to  the  strongest  motives  and  con- 
trary to  his  strongest  inclinations. 

Self-interest.  The  main-spring  of  human  action. 
"When  unenlightened  and  misdirected  it  tends  to  mis- 
ery. AYhen  properly  directed  it  produces  the  high- 
est ggod.     Not  until  men  learn  that  their  best  interest 


SUPRKNATURAL  RELIGION.  103 

and  chief  good  consists  in  promoting  tlie  interest  and 
happiness  of  tlieir  fellowmen  will  they  know  how  to 
happify  themselves.  Man  is  necessarily  a  selfish  be- 
ing, but  to  human  selfishness  manifested  in  this  way 
certainly  no  one  can  object. 

C(>NSCiENCE,  A  feeling  which  inclines  us  to  do 
what  we  believe  to  be  right,  and  reproaches  us  for  do- 
ing what  we  think  to  be  wrong. 

Wisdom.  The  knowledge  that  the  order  of  Nature 
is  such  that  the  consequences  of  well  or  ill  doing  fol- 
low by  an  immutable  law  and  that  this  order  cannot 
be  departed  from,  even  by  God  himself,  without  his 
ceasing  to  be  God. 

Folly.  ,The  belief  that  God's  moral  government  is 
based  on  contingencies,  so  that  the  consequences  of 
wrong  doing  may  or  may  not  be  experienced  by  the 
wrong  doer. 

Religion.  Knowledge  of  the  relation  which  man 
sustains  to  God,  and  of  the  duties  which  grow  out  of 
that  relation,  and  the  proper  direction  of  the  religious 
faculties. 

False  Religion.  Imperfect  kno-v^ledge  of  man's 
relation  to  God,  and  misdirection  of  the  religious  fac- 
ulties. 

Morality.  Knowledge  of  the  relation  which  man 
sustains  to  his  fellowmen  and  faithful  discharge  of  the 
duties  which  grow  out  (  f  that  relation. 

Miracle.  An  effect  without  a  sufficient  cause. 
Various  definitions  have  been  given  of  this  term.  If 
it  is  defined  to  signify  a  wonder,  then  the  world  is  full 
of  miracles,  for  surely  it  abounds  with  wonders  on  ev- 
ery hand.  If  it  signifies  a  suspension  or  counterac- 
tion of  the  4aws  of  Nature  then  miracles  are  plenty, 
for  the  laws  of  Nature  are  being   counteracted  every 


104  THE  PRO  A^rD  CON  OP 

day.  It  is  a  law  of  nature  that  water  should  seek  its 
own  level  and  run  down  hill,  but  by  applying  suffi- 
cient force  it  may  be  prevented  from  doing'  either. 
Nature's  law  makes  all  heavy  bodies  tend  to  the  cen- 
tre of  our  earth,  but  any  of  us  can  take  hold  of  a 
pebble  or  a  piece  of  iron  and  force  it  to  go  in  a  hori- 
zontal or  perpendicular  direction  contrar}^  to  its  nat- 
ural tendency.  Do  we  in  all  such  cases  work  a  mira- 
cle ?  If  by  miracle  is  meant  a  special  act  of  Divine 
power,  without  the  intervention  of  law,we  are  involved 
in  an  inextricable  difficulty  ;  for  how  can  it  be  prov- 
ed that  any  event  occurs  without  law  ?  The  time  has 
been  when  all  the  phenomena  of  nature  were  regarded 
as  special  acts  of  Divine  providence.  This  view  is 
now  admitted  to  be  erroneous.  May  it  not  be  equally 
erroneous  to  suppose  any  event  to  occur  without  law  ? 
If  we  say  of  any  given  phenomenon  that  it  is  miracu- 
lous simply  because  we  do  not  kiiow  the  cause  of  it, 
what  is  this  but  asserting  that  we  know  the  cause  of 
it  when  at  the  same  time  we  admit  we  do  not  ?  Be- 
sides, if  all  phenomena  of  the  cause  of  which  we  are 
ignorant  is  miraculous,  then  again  the  world  is  full  of 
miracles,  for  there  are  plenty  of  phenomena  of  which 
we  know  not  the  cause.  The  truth  is  that  nothing  is 
miraculous  that  is  produced  by  an  adequate  cause, 
and  therefore  if  miracles  exist  at  all,  they  must  con- 
sist of  effects  without  sufficient  cause.  It  has  been 
well  said  that  the  greatest  conceivable  miracle  would 
be  that  any  intelligent  man  should  understandingly 
believe  in  miracles.  So  far  as  we  know  anything 
about  the  system  of  Nature  the  Universe  is  governed 
by  an  order  which  is  uniform  and  invariable,  and  no 
deviation  from  the  unchangeableness  of  this  order  can 


SUPERNATURAL  RELIGION.  105 

be  admitted  without  more  and  better  proof  tlmn  has 
even  yet  been  adduced. 

Faith.  Confidence  or  trust  in  a  thing  or  being  bas- 
ed on  what  we  know  or  think  we  know  of  that  thing 
or  being.  There  can  be  no  faith  that  is  not  founded 
on  real  or  supposed  knowledge. 

Belief.  An  opinion  produced  by  evidence  either 
real  or  imaginary.  From  the  nature  of  the  mind  evi- 
dence amounting  to  proof  and  perceived  to  be  such 
must  necessarily  produce  conviction.  Men  are  pas- 
sive in  the  reception  of  their  opinions  ;  they  can  by 
no  means  believe  or  disbelieve  just  what  they  will  or 
wish,  contrary  to  the  evidence  as  it  appears  to  them. 
The  utmost  they  can  do  is  to  deny  their  convictions, 
or  profess  to  have  convictions  when  they  have  not. 
Rational  beief  cannot  be  induced  by  bribes  or  threats 
by  promises  of  reward  for  believing,  nor  by  threats  of 
punishment  for  unbelief.  To  undertake  to  gain  the 
belief  of  men  by  bribes  or  deter  them  from  unbelief 
by  threats  is  at  the  best  only  to  make  of  them  hypo- 
crites and  slaves. 

Nature.  The  universe  of  matter  and  of  mind.  The 
aggregate  of  eveiy thing  that  exists. 

Truth.  A  fact  in  Nature.  When  stated  in  human 
language  it  is  a  statement  in  conformity  with  fact. 
Truth  in  the  aggregate  is  the  aggregate  of  all  the  facts 
that  ever  did,  do  now,  or  ever  will  exist  m  the  Uni- 
verse. 

Matter.  A  form  of  Spirit  tangible  to  the  hum  in 
senses. 

Spirit.  A  form  of  Matter  not  cognizable  by  the 
senses.  All  cognizable  forms  of  matter  are  incarna- 
tions of  the  inlinite  spirit  of  the  universe.  As  forms 
they  are  finite  and  perishable,  but  the  material  of 


106  THE  PRO  AND  CON  OP 

which  they  are  composed  is  indestructible,  and  when 
\hem  forms  are  destroyed,  enters  into  the  composi- 
tion of  other  forms.  Thus  the  infinite  is  being  con- 
stantly resolved  into  the  finite  and  the  finite  into  the  in- 
finite. This  is  the  real  work  of  creation  which  never 
h;ul  a  beginning  and  can  never  have  an  end.  Nothing 
is  lost  in  nature.  Only  two  things  can  be  annihilated, 
one  is  form,  the  other  is  phenomena.  The  form  of 
the  human  body,  or  of  any  other  body  which  exists  to- 
day, must  ultimately  be  decomposed  and  resolved 
back  into  its  original  elements  to  enter  into  the  com- 
position of  other  forms.  The  lightnings  fiash  and 
thunders  roar  so  visible  to  our  senses  for  a  moment, 
in  a  moment  ceases  to  be,  and  although  a  similar 
phenomenon  may  appear  the  same,  one  can  never  be 
reproduced.  That  the  infinite  Spirit  of  the  universe 
possesses  inte  ligence  is  proved  from  the  fact  that  in- 
telligence exists  in  all  animated  beings.  What  nature 
does  not  contain  could  never  be  derived  from  nature. 
The  whole  question  of  the  immortality  and  personal 
consciousness  and  identity  of  the  human  mind  may 
be  settled  by  simply  deciding  the  question,  is  mind  an 
entity  or  a  phenomenon.  The  arguments  usuall}' 
adduced  to  prove  the  immortal  personal  conscious- 
ness of  man  are  merely  inferential,  and  however  ]o^i- 
cal  they  may  be,  they  do  not  demonstrate,  but  only 
render  it  probable.  All  that  relates  to  the  future  be- 
yond the  present  moment  relates  to  the  unknown,  and 
is  a  mere  matter  of  opinion.  For  wise  and  good  pur- 
poses Nature  has  so  ordered  it  that  we  can  have  no 
positive  knowledge  of  the  future.  Every  human  be- 
ing knows  or  believes  just  as  much  about  the  future 
as  in  his  present  state  of  development  he  ought  to 
know.    He  who  cannot  be  thankful  to  God    for  all 


SUPERNATURAL  RELIGION.  107 

tnat  is  past  and  trust  bim  for  all  that  is  to  come  is 
"without  hope  and  without  God  in  the  world." 
However  real  the  future  may  be  it  is  unknown  to  us. 
The  present  is  real  ;  we  live  in  tlie  present,  and  if  we 
were  more  solicitous  to  discharge  with  fidelity  the  du- 
ties of  the  present  and  less  disinclined  to  trust  God  to 
dispose  of  us  as  he  iiiliis  infinite  wisdom  and  goodness 
deems  best,  it  would  be  far  better  for  the  interest  and 
happiness  of  us  all.  The  reality  of  a  future  state  of 
existence  for  man  can  be  demonstrated  positively  only 
by  the  reappearance  in  proper  person,  in  a  spiiitual 
but  tangible  form,  of  some  person  with  whom  we  were 
well  acquainted  and  whom  we  knew  to  have  died  be- 
yond the  possibility  of  doubt.  Some  men  in  our  day 
claim  to  have  this  evidence.  We  will  not  dispute  it; 
if  the  fact  be  so  let  it  be  proved. 

Natural.  Any  event  or  phenomonon  which  occurs 
in  the  established  order  of  events  or  which  constitutes 
both  an  etiect  and  a  cause  in  the  interminable  chain  of 
causes  and  effects  which  never  h  id  a  beginning  and 
can  have  no  end. 

Supernatural.  That  which  is  above  or  Ijeyond 
Nature.  As  Nature,  or  the  universe  of  matter  and 
mind  is  infinite,  boundless,  and  illimitable,  there  can 
be  nothing  above  or  beyond  it.  The  power  that  con- 
trols our  bodies  resides  in  and  not  outside  of  the 
body.  There  can  be  no  outside  to  that  which  is 
boundless  in  extent.  The  infinite  power  of  the  Uni- 
verse pervades  every  part  of  it  and  is  present  in  every 
phenomonon  of  matter  or  of  mind.  No  event  can  be 
supernatural. 

Reveal.  To  make  known  to  the  mind. 

Revelation.  That  which  is  made  known  to  the 
mind,  and  of  which  the  mind  was  previously  ignorant. 


108  THE  PRO  AND  CON  OF 

As  all  our  knowledge  is  obtained  through  the  medium 
of  the  senses,  whatever  is  communicated  to  the  mind 
must  be  communicated  through  that  medium.  When- 
ever men  claim  to  have  knowledge  which  they  have 
derived  through  some  other  channel,  we  may  set  them 
down  as  self-deceived  or  imposters. 

Inspiration.  The  voluntary  or  spontaneous  action 
of  the  inherent  powers  and  faculties  of  the  human 
mind.  All  men  are  inspired  but  not  all  to  the  same 
extent.  The  highest  inspiration  is  found  in  those 
men  whose  various  faculties  are  harmoniously  devel- 
oped to  the  greatest  degree. 

Axiomatic,  or  Self-evident  Truth, 

It  is  an  io controvertible  fact  that  all  human  beings 
are  introduced  into  the  present  state  of  existence  in  a 
condition  of  entire  ignorance,  and  all  that  thej^  ever 
know  they  are  obliged  to  learn.  By  means  of  the 
senses,  which  are  the  windows  of  the  mind,  we  be- 
come acquainted  with  ourselves  and  v;jt]i  external  na- 
ture around  us,  and  all  its  varied  phenomena.  With- 
out sensation  there  could  be  no  consciousness  ;  with- 
out consciousness  no  intelligence,  and  without  in- 
telligence the  mind  would  be  a  blank.  By  obser- 
vation and  experience  we  acquire  a  knowledge  of 
facts  as  they  exist  in  nature.  These  facts  we  make 
the  basis  of  what  we  call  reasoning.  We  can  reason 
only  from  what  we  know  or  think  we  know.  Reason- 
ing consists  in  deducing  inferences  from  real  or  sup- 
posed facts.  If  the  premises  from  which  we  reason 
are  correct,  and  our  reasoning  is  correct,  the  conclu- 
sion to  which  we  arrive  will  be  correct.  On  the  other 
hand,  if  our  premises  are  false,  or  if  our  reasoning  is 


BUPERNA-TITRAL  RELIGION.  109 

false,  the  conclusion  will  also  be  false.  It  must  not 
be  forgotten  that  we  can  reason  correctly  from  false 
premises,  bui  in  all  such  cases  the  conclusion  will  be 
as  false  as  the  premises  themselves.  It  is  highly  im  - 
portant,  therefore,  that  in  all  our  reasonings  we  be 
quite  sure  that  our  premises  are  correct.  The  conclu- 
sions to  which  we  arrive  by  the  process  of  reasoning 
constitute  our  opinions,  as  distinguished  from  what 
we  know  by  the  evidence  of  our  senses. 

Now  truth  may  be  classified  under  three  heads  : 
1.  Physical  trulh ;  2.  Intellectual  truth  ;  3.  Moral 
truth.  The  first  consists  of  facts  as  they  exist  in 
nature,  and  must  be  verified  by  the  testimony  of  the 
senses.  The  second  consists  of  opinions  which  must 
be  sanctioned  by  sound  logical  reasoning.  The  third 
consists  of  our  opinions  in  regard  to  our  obligations 
and  duties  toward  our  fellow-men,  and  must  be  tested 
by  our  sense  of  right  and  justice,  and  by  their  practi- 
cal utility  in  the  world. 

Nature,  then,  is  the  great  standard  of  truth,  and 
to  her  teachings  must  be  made  the  ultimate  appeal. 
Our  understanding  of  her  teachings  may  be  imper- 
fect ;  our  interpretation  of  her  lessons  maybe  errone- 
ous, but  Nature  never  lies,  she  makes  no  mistakes, 
commits  no  errors,  is  guilty  of  no  blunders.  Every 
man  must  interpret  her  as  best  he  can.  Truth  is  the 
natural  food  of  the  mind,  as  bread  is  of  the  body. 
All  truth  necessary  for  man  to  know,  is  adapted  to  his 
capacities  and  powers.  Truth  must  be  its  own  wit- 
ness. It  must  approve  itself  to  our  senses,  our  reason 
and  our  moral  sense. 

When  the  mind  has  attained  sufficient  maturity,  it 
readily  ^distinguishes  truth  from  error,  just  as  we 
leam  to  distinguish  food  that  is  wholesome  from  that 


110  THE   PRO   AND  CON   OF 

which  is  unwholesome.  As  the  minds  of  men  are  in 
different  stages  of  development,  all  cannot  see  alike, 
and  hence  there  are,  and  must  be,  different  opinions 
among  them.  But  notwithstanding  the  great  diversit}'- 
of  human  beliefs,  there  are  certain  cardinal  principles 
wliicli  will  be  accepted  as  true  by  all  intelligent  men. 
These  doctrines  are  so  obviously  true  that  no  arg.u- 
ment  is  needed  to  sustain  them.  The  simple  state- 
ment of  them  in  an  intelligible  form  is  sufficient  to 
carry  conviciion  to  every  unbiased  mind.  These 
truths  we  call  axiomatic  or  self-evident,  and  they  con- 
stitute, perhaps,  the  best  test  to  apply  to  every  dogma 
or  proposition  which  may  be  presented  for  our  con- 
sideration. 

We  "vCill  now  make  a  statement  of  some  of  these 
self-evident  truths,  and  point  out  the  manner  of  their 
application. 

1.  The  whole  of  a  thing  is  greater  than  a  part  of  it. 

2.  Nothing  can  be,  and  not  be,  at  the  same  instant. 

3.  Two  solid  substances  cannot  occupy  the  same 
space  at  the  same  instant  of  time. 

4.  No  created  being  can  be  a  hundred  years  old  the 
moment  he  begins  to  exist. 

5.  No  created  being  can  be  equal  to  his  creator. 

6.  No  truth  can  contradict  any  other  truth. 

7.  Two  contradictory  statements  cannot  both  be 
true. 

8.  A  finite  mind  cannot  comprehenu  the  infinite. 

9.  Infinite  attributes  are  uncommunicable. 

10.  Under  the  government  of  a  being  who  is  all- 
wise,  all-powerful  and  all-good,  absolute  evil  cannot 
possibly  exist. 

11.  An  absolutely  good  being  cannot  create  an  ab- 
solutely bad  being. 


SUPERNATURAL  RELIGION.  1^ 

12.  Only  one  being  possessed  of  infinite  attributes 
can  exist  in  the  Universe. 

13.  God  cannot  create  a  totally  depraved  being. 

14.  A  superior  being  who  creates  an  inferior,  know- 
ing that  he  will  be  cursed  by  his  existence,  is  not  good 
to  that  being. 

15.  A  law  to  which  there  is  annexed  a  penalty 
wlfich  may  be  averted,  can  have  no  restraining  influ- 
ence over  viciously  inclined  misn. 

16.  A  law  having  a  penalty  which,  if  inflicted,  will 
defeat  the  object  of  the  law,  is  not  a  wise  law. 

17.  There  can  be  no  end  to  that  which  is  endless. 

18.  To  inflict  punishment  upon  an  innocent  person, 
which  is  due  only  to  the  guilty,  is  a  double  act  of 
gross  outrage  upon  every  [)rinciple  of  justice. 

19.  No  being  can  incur  guilt  or  punishment  for 
acting  in  accordance  with  the  Jaws  of  his  own  na- 
ture. 

20.  The  number  one  cannot  be  made  to  express 
more  than  one. 

21.  .The  number  three  cannot  be  made  to  express 
less  than  three. 

22.  No  man  is  under  any  obliLJ-ation  to  believe  what 
appears  to  him  to  contradict  his  reason  or  sense  of, 
right  and  justice. 

23.  No  incredible  statement  is  to  be  believed,  unless 
it  is  sustained  by  an  amount  of  evidence,  which  would 
make  it  more  unrea.sun.blc  to  reject  the  evidence  than 
it  would  be  to  accept  the  statement. 

24.  The  remission  of  the  penalty  of  a  law  pre- 
supposes or  implies  that  the'  penalty  is-  not  just  and 
wise.  * 

We  propose  now  to  apply  the  above  truths  as  a  test 
to  some  of  the  dogmas  of  popular  Christianity.     We 


113  TBCET  PRO  AND  CON  OP 

shall  see  that  they  crash  through  the  creeds  and  com- 
mandments of  men,  scattering  them  like  leaves  before 
a  mighty  wind.  These  dogmas,  when  put  in  the  form 
of  propositions,  may  be  stated  as  follows  : 

1.  There  exists  a  personal  being  called  the  Devil,  a 
creature  of  God,  all  of  whose  attributes  are  positively 
evil,  unmixed  with  the  least  panicle  of  good.  Com- 
pare this  with  truth  No.  11. 

2.  Mankind  are  born  into  the  wor^a  with  totally 
corrupt  and  depraved  natures,  ^ud  all  their  inclina- 
tions are  to  evil,  and  only  evil,  and  that  continually. 
Compare  with  truths  Nos.  13  and  19. 

3.  God  is  one,  but  nevertheless  exists  in  three  per- 
sons. Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost,  and  yet  there  are 
not  three  persons,  but  one  person.  Compare  with 
truths  Nos.  20  and  21. 

4.  Jesus  Christ,  although  a  creature  of  God,  (see 
Rev.  iii.  14)  yet  possessed  all  the  attributes  of  Divini- 
ty.   Compare  with  truths  Nos.  9  and  12. 

5.  Evil  is  positive  and  absolute,  inasmuclr  as  it  is 
destined  to  reign  over  millions  of  human  beings  for- 
ever, thereby  rendering  their  existence  a  curse  instead 
of  a  blessing.     Compare  with  tiuths  Nos.  10  and  14. 

6.  The  penalty  of  God's  law,  after  it  has  been  in- 
curied  by  the  transgressor,  may  be  averted  by  timely 
repentance.     Compare  with  truths  Nos.  15  and  24. 

7.  The  penalty  of  God's  law,  if  inflicted  on  the 
violater  of  it,  will  place  him  in  a  condition  that  will 
forever  render  it  impossible  for  him  to  obey  the  law. 
Compare  with  truth  No.  16. 

8.  The  penalty  of  God's  law  is  endless  punishment, 
and  yet  Christ  endured  the  penalty  in  his  sufferings 
and  death  upon  the  cross.  Compare  with  truth  No. 
17. 


SUPE«NATUI{AL   EELIGTON.  113 

9.  The  penalty  of  God's  law,  which  had  been  in- 
curred by  all  mankind,  was  inflicted  on  Jesus  Christ, 
who  had  violated  no  law,  incurred  no  penalty,  and 
was  an  entirely  innocent  person.  Compare  with  truth 
No.  18. 

10.  There  are  certain  theological  and  religious  doc- 
trines which  we  are  required  to  believe,  whether  they 
appear  to  us  reasonable  or  not,  and  for  not  believing 
them  we  incur  the  penalty  of  endless  damnation. 
Compare  with  truth  No.  22. 

11.  The  Bible  contains  statements  in  relation  to 
occurrences  and  events  which,  if  the  same  were 
made  at  the  present  day,  we  would  not  believe 
even  on  the  authority  of  living  witnesses,  and  yet 
we  are  requested  to  believe  these  statements  on  tlie 
authority  of  men  who  lived  and  wrote  long  after 
the  events  are  said  to  have  happened,  men  who  could 
not  have  been  eye-witnesses  of  what  they  relate,  and 
of  whose  competencj'^  as  witnesses,  and  reputation  for 
truth  and  veracity  we  know  nothing.  Compare  with 
truth  No.  23. 

Now  as  truth  is  always  consistent  with  itself,  and 
as  the  above  eleven  propositions  directly  contradict 
the  correspondingly  numbered  propo»*itionH  in  the  list 
of  self-evident  truths,  it  follows  iliat  one  or  the  other 
nmst  be  ffflse.     Which  il  is,  the  reader  can  judge. 


114  THE   PRO   AND   CON   OF 


CONCLUSION. 

Of  what  has  been  said  in  the  foregoing  pages,  this 
is  the  sum.  From  the  earliest  dawn  of  intelligence 
and  religion  among  men,  truth  and  error,  fact  and  fic- 
tion, reason  and  superstition  have  been  strangely  com- 
mingled. He  who  lends  a  helping  hand  in  the  work 
of  sifting  the  wheat  from  the  chaff,  is  a  public  bene- 
factor. Wherevei  ignorance  prevails,  superstition 
abounds ;  wherever  reason  predominates  superstition 
dies.  First  of  all  it  is  necessary  to  assert  and  main- 
tain the  supremacy  and  authority  of  pure  reason  o\er 
all  authority  which  is  opposed  to  reason.  No  one 
thing  has  served  more  to  perpetuate  ignorance  and 
superstition  than  the  idea  that  the  Supreme  Ruler  of 
the  Universe  interferes  in  an  exceptional  manner  with 
the  affairs  of  mankin4,  and  that  he  has  given  them 
an  infallible  revelation  in  book  form  of  his  will  und 
purpose  concerning  them.  This  idea  was  born  of 
ignorance,  and  has  been  kept  in  being  by  ignorance 
and  imposture.  So  long  as  men  honestly  believe  that 
they  have  a  creed  sanctioned  by  the  authority  of  God, 
and  that  belief  in  it  is  essential  to  the  welfare  of  man 
and  society  in  this  world,  and  indispensable  to  se(.ure 
his  happiness  in  eternity,  so  long,  of  necessity,  there 
must  be  bigots  and  persecutors  in  the  world.  And  in 
proportion  as  this  idea  prevails  among  the  massei   of 


SUPERNATURAL  RELIGION.  115 

men,  they  must  be  mental  and  moral  slaves,  the  dupes 
of  imposition,  the  victims  of  a  miserable  superstition. 
The  chain  of  evidence  by  which  it  is  claimed  that  the 
Bible  is  in  a  special  and  exceptional  sense  the  "  Word 
of  God,"  has  only  to  be  critically  examined  to  dis- 
cover that  it  is  only  a  rope  of  sand.  The  internal 
evidence  is,  if  possible,  still  worse.  It  bears  evident 
marks  of  a  human  origin.  Like  everything  else  in 
nature,  or  in  art,  it  may  be  made  the  instrument  of 
good  or  evil.  It  is  valuable  only  in  proportion  to  the 
amount  of  truth  that  it  contains.  The  errors  con- 
tained in  it  are  more  pernicious  than  if  found  any- 
where else,  because  they  are  attributed  to  God,  and 
men  are  taught  to  believe  that  they  must  be  accepted 
because  God  spoke  them.-  There  is  no  proof  that  God 
ever  spoke  to  any  man  in  an  audible  voice,  that  he 
ever  exhibited  himself  in  proper  person,  nor  that  he 
ever  interpolated  into  the  system  of  Nature  a  single 
miracle,  nor  that  he  ever  revealed  himself  in  any 
other  way  than  through  the  medium  of  the  human 
faculties. 

The  idea  of  the  existence  of  a  semi-omnipotent  evil 
spirit,  called  the  Devil,  who  is  a  rival  of  God  in  the 
government  of  the  world,  and  who  is  constantly 
thwarting  him  in  his  designs  and  defeating  his  pur- 
poses, is  a  monstrous  conception  of  a  weak,  ignorant 
and  debased  mind.  God  could  not  create  such  a 
being  for  want  of  material  out  of  which  to  construct 
him.  He  could  not  create  himself  for  the  same  rea- 
son. The  only  devil  that  men  need  to  guard  them- 
selves against  is  the  one  each  man  carries  around  with 
him  in  his  own  bosom.  A  strict  watch  over  that  will 
insure  us  against  all  harm  from  any  devil  that  exists 
in  the  Universe. 


116  THE  PBO  AND  "CON  OF 

The  various  theologies  in  the  world  are  made  up  of 
the  opinions  of  men  about  religion.  They  are  the  f 
systematized  thoughts  of  men  on  that  important  and 
interesting  subject.  Religion  is  one  thing,  the  thoughts 
of  men  about  religion  are  another  and  sometimes  a 
very  different  thing.  When  these  theologies  are  made 
a  substitute  for  religion,  they  inflict  a  double  curse 
upon  mankind.  First,  by  displacing  religion,  and 
second  by  establishing  a  fraud  and  an  imposition. 
Hence  it  is  that  the  popular  religion  of  the  day  in  its 
organized  form  is  a  sham.  It  sets  up  a  false  standard 
of  respectability,  virtue  and  morality.  It  attaches 
more  importance  to  belief  than  to  practice  ;  to  faith 
than  to  character  and  life.  The  man  who  is  punctili- 
ous in  performing  the  outward  rites  and  ceremonies 
of  religion,  although  an  extortioner  or  a  defaulter,  or 
proud,  haughty,  vain,  morose,  selfish  and  exclusive, 
is  thought  to  be  more  religious  and  more  in  favor  with 
God  than  the  man  who  disregards  the  ceremonies  and 
professions,  but  is  nevertheless  kind,  generous,  be- 
nevolent and  good.  This  form  of  religion  is  for  the 
most  part  wholly  artificial  and  uncongenial  with  the 
nature  of  man.  Not  only  is  this  fact  admitted  by  its 
advocates,  when  they  insist  that  it  can  neither  be  un- 
derstood nor  embraced  by  man  until  he  experiences  a 
change  of  nature,  but  the  fact  that,  notwithstanding 
the  vast  and  ponderous  machinery  which  is  employed 
in  its  propagation,  its  adherents  in  this  country,  at 
least,  constitute  a  minority  of  the  people,  proves  that 
it  is  artificial  rather  than  natural.  When  we  consider 
the  hundreds  of  thousands  of  clergymen  and  mission- 
aries who  are  engaged  in  its  propagation,  the  vast 
sums  of  money  employed  for  the  same  purpose,  the 
millions  of  Bibles  that  have  been  circulated  all  over 


SUPERNATURAL  RELIGION.  117 

the  world,  the  trillions  of  tracts,  papers,  sermons, 
periodicals  and  books  that  have  been  published  in  its 
interest,  the  wonder  is,  not  that  the  converts  are  so 
many,  but  that  they  are  so  few.  And  the  fact  that 
they  are  so  few  cannot  be  accounted  for  only  by  the 
truth  that,  as  a  whole,  the  system  is  at  war  with  the 
nature  of  man.  That  it  is  unsatisfactory  to  its  adhe- 
rents, is  evinced  by  the  fact  that  so  many  of  them  tell 
us  that  if  they  believed  there  was  no  endless  punish- 
ment, they  would  "take  their  fill  of  sin  in  this  world" 
without  regard  to  God  or  the  interests  of  humanity. 
And  yet  they  profess  to  be  par  excellence^  the  lovers  of 
God  and  maa.  With  all  such  persons  religion  is  a 
cross,  a  burden,  a  mere  make-shift  to  get  into  heaven, 
a  choice  between  two  evils.  It  is  a  terrible  thing  to 
be  religious,  but  it  is  better  to  be  so  than  it  is  to  go  to 
hell.  How  much  more  manly,  and  noble  and  truth- 
ful is  the  sentiment  of  the  true  religionist.  If  there 
were  no  God,  no  heaven,  no  hell,  no  future  state  of  ex- 
istence, he  would  love  and  practice  virtue  for  its  own 
sake,  and  for  the  joy  and  peace  it  imparts  to  the  soul. 
What  a  mistake  it  is  to  suppose  that  it  is  necessary  tr 
make  ourselves  miserable  on  earth  in  order  to  be 
happy  in  heaven. 

The  Priesthood  is  a  human  institution.  It  was 
founded  on  the  idea  that  God  is  angry  with  his  crea- 
tures, and  that  his  wrath  can  be  propitiated  and  his 
favor  secured  by  offerings  of  presents,  by  sacrifices 
of  fruits  and  animals,  and  by  the  performance  of 
pompous  and  imposing  rites  and  ceremonies.  Hence 
the  supposed  necessity  of  setting  apart  a  class  of  men 
to  do  tills  work.  The  institution  is  based  on  a  false- 
hood. The  removal  of  the  error  will  cause  the  super- 
stition to  topple  to  the  ground.     Originally  the  priest- 


118  THE  PRO  AND   CON   OF 

ly  and  kingly  Offices  were  nnited  in  the  same  man. 
Priestcraft  and  kingcraft  have  been  mutual  helps  to 
each  other.  Together  they  have  inflicted  untold  woes 
upon  the  children  of  men,  by  depriving  them  of  their 
inalienable  rights,  and  by  imposing  upon  them  bur- 
dens "  which  neither  we  nor  our  fathers  were  able  to 
bear." 

Undoubtedly  the  Priesthood,  like  all  the  other 
learned  professions,  is  composed  of  both  good  and 
bad  men.  But  on  the  score  of  merit,  it  cannot  justly 
claim  any  superiority  over  the  others.  Doubtless  the 
Clergy  are  no  better,  nor  any  worse  than  the  average 
of  men,  only  so  far  as  the  false  pos.tion  which  they 
occup3^  makes  them  so.  With  them  the  business  of 
theological  and  religious  teaching  is  a  profession  and 
a  means  of  obtaining  a  livelihood.  Before  they  enter 
upon  their  work,  they  must,  before  God  and  man, 
make  solemn  professions  of  faith  in  a  certain  creed 
to  which  they  are  expected  to  adhere  and  defend  dur- 
ing life.  On  their  doing  this,  their  living  depends. 
They  have  a  pecuniary  interest  at  stake.  The  creed 
must  be  maintained,  missionary  work  must  be  done, 
contributions  must  be  raised,  revival  excitements  must 
begotten  up,  converts  rhust  be  made,  for  all  this  brings 
grist  to  their  mill.  They  are  conservative  in  their 
tendencies,  opposed  to  all  innovation,  tenacious  and 
bigoted  in  their  opinions  and  blind  to  all  newly-dis- 
covered truth.  They  can  seldom  see  the  word 
truth,  because,  with  them,  it  is  covered  by  a  dollar. 
Their  occupation  leads  them  into  the  practice  of  con- 
scious or  unconscious  hypocrisy.  They  assume  a 
character  before  the  people  that  they  by  no  means 
maintain  in  tlieir  families,  or  when  in  company  with 
each  other.    However  grave,  sanctimonious  and  cir- 


SUPERNATURAL  RELIGION.  119 

cumspect  they  may  appear  in  public,  when  assembled 
in  company  by  themselves,  they  are  the  most  jolly  of 
men.  They  can  then  crack  their  jokes,  tell  funny 
stories,  relate  smutty  anecdotes  and  indulge  in  low 
gossip  to  an  extent  unequaled  by  any  except  profes- 
sional libertines.  They  denounce  human  selfishness, 
and  are  of  all  men  the  most  selfish  ;  declaim  against 
avarice,  and  are  mercenary  and  avaricious ;  preach 
against  pride,  fashion  and  love  of  the  word,  and  yet 
are  as  proud,  as  servile  imitators  of  fashion,  and  man- 
ifest as  much  of  the  love  of  the  world  as  other  men. 
They  insist  on  the  necessity  of  self-denial,  but  think 
themselves  entitled  to  the  most  comfortable  places, 
the  best  bits,  the  choicest  dainties,  the  lion's  share  of 
all  the  good  things  of  life.  They  profess  to  be  awful- 
ly concerned  and  anxious  for  the  welfare  of  poor  sin- 
ners, but  their  sleek,  smooth,  well-to-do  appearance 
gives  no  indication  of  excessive  anxiety.  They  claim 
that  men  in  their  natural  state  are  totally  depraved, 
and  yet,  in  this  country,  at  least,  they  profess  to  be- 
lieve in  a  free  government,  founded  on  the  principle 
that  the  people  have  a  right  to  govern  themselves,  an 
inconsistency  so  glaring  that  it  makes  us  suspicious 
of  their  sincerity. 

The  art  of  proselyting  they  understand  to  perfec- 
tion. This  is  an  important  part  of  their  business. 
However  ignorant  they  may  be  on  all  other  subjects, 
this  they  perfectly  well  understand.  They  are  in 
possession  of  all  the  accumulated  experience  of  a 
long  line  of  predecessors  extending  through  all  of  the 
past  ages.  They  know  liuman  nature  well  and  how 
to  take  advantage  of  its  weaknesses.  They  make 
their  appeals  to  the  superstitious,  selfish  hopes  and 
fears  of  ignorant  men,  and  having  what  Archimedes 


120  THE  PRO  AND  CON  OP 

only  wanted,  another  world  on  which  to  plant  their 
machinery.  It  is  no  wonder  that  in  almost  all  past 
time  they  have  moved  this  at  their  pleasure.  They 
tax  all  their  ingenuity  and  eloquence  in  describing 
the  beauties  of  a  heaven  about  which  they  know 
nothing,  and  a  hell  of  which  they  are  equally  igno- 
rant, and  the  one  they  promise  as  a  reward  to  all  who 
embrace  their  doctrines,  the  other  they  threaten  as  a 
punishment  to  be  inflicted  on  all  who  do  not.  In  this 
way  they  may  succeed,  perhaps,  in  luring  some  and 
entrancing  others,  but  no  man  was  ever  made  really 
any  better  by  being  actuated  by  such  selfish  consid- 
erations. They  condemn  human  selfishness  and  yet 
cultivate  and  strengthen  it  by  making  constant  ap- 
peals to  it.  They  are  the  greatest  beggars  in  the 
world.  Their  horseleech  cry  of  give,  give,  can  be 
heard  on  the  mountains  and  in  the  valleys,  in  the 
public  streets  and  in  the  churches.  At  every  public 
meeting  ostensibly  for  the  worship  of  God,  the  con- 
tribution box  is  passed  around  and  the  people  are 
entreated  in  God's  name  to  give.  The  people  are  as- 
sured that  if  they  will  give,  God  will  restore  to  ihera 
four-fold,  but  not  one  of  them  will  stand  sponsor  for 
the  fulfillment  of  the  promise  or  guarantee  the  refund- 
ing of  the  gift  in  case  it  is  not.  In  a  thousand  vaji- 
ety  of  ways  vast  sums  of  money  are  raised  by  these 
men  which  goes  to  help  the  warring  sects  to  vie  with 
each  other  in  building  costly  churches  and  to  support 
a  class  of  useless  drones  in  the  human  hive. 

The  same  envyings  and  jealousies  that  exist  among 
the  members  of  other  learned  professions  exist  among 
them.  They  will  unscrupulously  resort  to  measures 
to  supplant  a  brother  in  an  advantageous  situation, 
or  in  the  esteem  and  affections  of  the  people  which 


SUPERNATURAL  RELIGION,  121 

lawyers  and  physicians  scorn  to  adopt,  and  have  too 
great  a  sense  of  horror  and  manhood  to  think  of 
adopting.  If  one  of  their  number  happens  to  become 
convinced  of  the  erroneousness  of  his  creed  and  has 
independence  and  moral  courage  enough  to  avo-v  his 
honest  opinions,  the  rest  will  pounce  on  him  like  a 
hawk  upon  a  chicken.  They  will  pursue  him  with 
misrepresentations  and  slander,  hurl  at  him  the  epi- 
thets of  "  infidelity,"  emissary  of  Satan,"  "  enemy  of 
religion,"  call  him  a  Judas,  a  renegade,  an  apostate, 
ostracize  him  from  society  if  they  can,  and  all  to 
connteract  his  influence  in  opposition  to  their  secta- 
rian views.  On  the  other  hand  if  one  of  their  pro- 
fession is  accused  of  any  crime,  the  rest  of  the  fra- 
ternity will  gather  around  him,  form  a  solid  phalanx, 
and  shield  him  from  exposure  if  they  can.  The  pecu- 
liar position  occupied  by  these  men  brings  them  into 
close  relation  to  the  female  sex.  They  knowing  that 
women  are  more  susceptible  of  religious  as  well  as 
superstitious  influence  than  men,  regard  them  as  their 
right-hand  weapon  of  offensive  and  defensive  war. 
They  rely  mainly  on  them  to  further  their  designs. 
Women  educated  to  believe  tliat  they  must  depend  on 
men  for  support  and  protection,  will  inevitably  be  in- 
clined to  look  up  to  the  clergy  for  religious  guidance 
and  instruction.  This  brings  them  into  frequent  and 
familiar  intimacy  with  that  class  of  men.  What  has 
been  the  result  ?  Not  only  are  our  sectarian  churches 
made  up  principally  of  women  and  children,  but  the 
history  of  the  priesthood  in  all  ages  and  countries 
proves  that  by  no  other  class  of  professional'  men  have 
so  many  crimes  against  female  virtue  been  committed 
as  by  them. 
The  clergy  profess  to  look  upon  what  they  call  InS- 


122  THE  PRO  AND   CON  OF 

delity  aud  Materialism  with  the  utmost  horror  and  de- 
testation. They  represent  that  the  Materialistic  doc- 
trines are  destructive  of  all  joy  and  peace  on  earth, 
and  deprive  us  of  all  our  bright  hopes  and  anticipations 
in  regard  to  the  future.  Apparently  they  are  entire- 
ly unconscious  of  the  fact  that  they  themselves  are  con- 
stantly promulgating  a  doctrine  as  much  more  horri- 
ble than  anything  in  Materialism  as  it  is  in  the  power 
of  the  human  imagination  to  conceive.  At  the  very 
worst,  even,  ultra-Materialism  would  do  nothing  worse 
than  consign  us  to  the  quiet  sleep  of  non-existence  or 
annihilation,  whereas  the  doctrine  of  the  clergy  would 
involve  a  majority  of  our  race  in  miseries  untold,  nev- 
er-ending and  indescribable.  All,  therefore,  who  hope 
for  a  future  blissful  existence,  must  desire  it  with  the 
full  knowledge  that  if  they  have  it,  they  enjoy  it 
at  the  expense  of  the  endless  and  inconceivable  sufler- 
in^s  of  millions  of  their  fellow  men.  Can  a  more 
monstrous  exhibition  of  supreme  selfishness  be  con- 
ceived ? 

These  men  claim,  too,  that  by  some  mysterious  su- 
pernatural process  they  have  experienced  such  a 
change  of  nature,  such  a  regeneration  of  character, 
such  a  sanctification  of  mind  and  heart  as  fits  them  to 
be  the  month-pieces  of  God,  and  the  leaders  and  in- 
structors of  mankind.  But  of  what  use  is  it  for  them  to 
pretend  to  any  superior  sanctity,  when  all  intelligent 
men  know,  and  all  the  world  ought  to  know,  that  they 
"are  men  of  like  passions  as  others,"  that  they  have 
the  same  appetites,  passions,  desires,  faults  and  foibles 
that  all  nien  have.  The  criminal  records  of  the  coun- 
try prove,  that  in  proportion  to  their  numbers  no  class 
of  educated  men  furnish  a  greater  number  of  the  in- 
mates of  our  jails  and  prisons  than  the  clergy. 


SUPERNATURAL  RELIGION.  123 

Now  there  are  in  the^ United  States  nearly  fifty  thou- 
sand clergymen.  We  would  utilize  this  element  of  so- 
ciety. That  portion  of  them  whi),  by  their  educa- 
tion, talents  and  moral  worth  are  qualified  for  the 
work,  we  would  have  converted  into  teachers  in  our 
schools  and  seminaries  of  learning,  public  lecturers 
and  leaders  of  the  people  in  the  great  work  of  reform. 
We  would  have  them  teach  their  fellow  men  on  those 
subjects  about  which  they  have  some  positive  knowl- 
edge, and  in  relation  to  which  it  is  of  the  utmost  im- 
portance that  they  be  informed.  We  wouid  have 
them  teach  the  people  to  know  themselves,  to  do  their 
own  thinking,  to  form  their  own  opinions,  to  under- 
stand the  laws  of  their  own  nature,  and  the  conditions 
on  which  the  prosperity  and  happiness  of  human  be- 
ings depend.  We  would  place  them  on  a  level  with 
the  rest  of  mankind,  give  them  the  same  chances,  the 
same  opportunities,  and  let  them  depend  on  themselves, 
instead  of  LAug  merely  dependents  upon  others.  As 
for  the  rest,  we  would  have  them  expend  the  force  and 
energy  which  they  now  spend  for  naught  in  some 
branches  of  trade,  or  agriculture,  and  thereby  make 
themselves  a  blessing  to  the  world. 

To  this,  or  something  like  this,  it  must  come  at  last. 
The  people  will  not  always  suSer  themselves  to  be  led 
hoodwinked  to  their  own  destruction.  A  revolt  is  sure 
to  come,  and  when  it  does  come  it  is  to  be  hoped  that 
the  crimes  of  the  priesthood  against  humanity  will  not 
be  too  vividly  remembered  against  them,  and  that  the 
sins  of  their  predecessors  who  lived  in  the  dead  past 
will  not  be  visited  on  those  who  exist  in  the  living 
present. 

Religion  is  natural  to  man.  It  is  not  an  exotic  which 
must  be  grafted  upon  him,  but  is  indigenous  in  the  soil 


124  THE  PKO  AKD  CON  OP 

of  his  heart  and  mind.  God  has  endowed  him  with  re 
ligious  faculties  which  seek  gratification.  It  is  only 
necessary  to  develop  and  properly  direct  the  religious 
powers  to  make  him  all  that  religion  requires.  Man's  re- 
lio^ious  faculties,  like  all  his  other  faculties,  are  liable 
to  be  misdirected.  He  possesses  no  appetite,  no  pas- 
sion, no  faculty  that  is  not  in  itself  good.  All  that  is 
wrong  in  man  consists  in  the  perversion  or  abuse  of 
powers  which  are  in  themselves  good.  When  his  re- 
ligious faculties  are  properly  directed,  they  tend  to 
good,  and  only  good,  both  to  himself  and  his  fellow 
men.  When  misdirected  they  are  liable  to  produce 
an  incalculable  amount  of  mischief.  It  is  a  law  of  na- 
ture that  the  very  best  things  are  capable  of  being  con- 
verted into  the  very  worst.  Thus  it  is  that  religion 
when  perverted  may  become  a  curse  to  its  possessor 
and  render  him  a  curse  to  the  world.  Woe  to  the 
world  when  a  religious  fanatic  or  monomaniac  is  let 
loose  in  it!  Conceiving  that  he  only  has  God's  truth, 
and  that  the  salvation  of  the  world  depends  upon  the 
universal  acceptance  of  it  by  men,  and  that  all  who 
do  not  accept  it  are  the  enemies  of  God  and  religion, 
he  goes  forth  full  of  bigotry  and  intolerance,  scatter- 
ing firebrands,  arrows  and  death  in  the  world,  and  de- 
nounces the  thunderbolts  of  God's  wrath  upon  all  he 
deems  to  be  God's  foes.  Animated  by  a  zeal  without 
knowledge,  he  has  no  mercy  on  others,  nor  even  on 
liimself.  He  will  endure  privations,  encounter  the 
greatest  difficulties,  brave  the  most  imminent  dangers, 
bid  defiance  to  tortures,  eagerly  shed  his  blood  or  lay 
down  his  life  to  seal  his  testimony.  He  may  be  com- 
pared to  a  lion  uncaged,  a  tiger  unchained,  a  hyena 
let  loose. 
To  be  truly  religious  is  to  be  God-like  in  character 


SXJPBRNATTJBAIi  RELIGION.  125 

and  disposition.  To  be  merciful  and  mild,  peaceable 
and  kind,  cbaritable  toward  all,  forbearing  and  for- 
giving even  toward  enemies.  Religion  is  true  man- 
hood. To  be  religious  is  to  be  a  well  developed  man, 
a  true  gentleman,  a  lover  of  all  men,  both  good  and 
bad.  The  distinction  between  good  and  bad  men  is 
only  a  difference  of  degree.  None  are  completely 
good,  none  are  entirely  bad.  Human  nature  is  the 
same  in  all  men,  but  is  manifested  in  a  variety  of 
ways.  The  human  race  furnishes  one  of  the  best 
illustrations  of  the  law  of  unity  in  variety.  The  difier- 
ence  in  the  character  and  disposition  of  men  is  a  dif- 
ference of  organization,  temperament,  education,  cli- 
mate and  condition.  Men  may  be  found,  even  in  civ- 
ilzed  society,  in  all  the  intermediate  stages  of  develop- 
ment between  the  lowest  barbarism  and  the  highest 
civilization.  In  proportion  as  a  man  is  wicked  he  is 
barbarous,  in  proportion  as  he  is  good  he  is  civilized. 
Notwithstanding  the  diversity  of  character  and  action 
among  men,  all  are  prompted  to  action  by  one  grand 
leading  motive,  the  desire  of  happiness  and  the  dread 
of  misery.  Men  seek  happiness  in  a  variety  of  ways, 
and  commit  many  blunders  and  mistakes  in  their  ef- 
forts to  obtain  it.  The  good  find  it,  the  bad  miss  it. 
The  Christian  deludes  himself  if  he  supposes  that  he 
is  actuated  by  motives  any  different  from  those  of  oth- 
er men.  If  he  renounces  what  he  supposes  to  be  the 
pleasures  of  this  world  for  the  sake  of  the  glory  and 
bliss  of  eternity,  he  has  made  a  good  bargain,  he  has 
looked  out  for  number  one.  The  balance  of  profit 
and  loss  is  decidedly  in  his  favor.  No  shrewd  Yankee 
could  hope  to  make  a  better  bargain.  If  the  wicked 
expect  to  find  happiness  in  sin,  they  commit  a  capital 
mistake,  which,  sooner  or  later,  it  is  to  be  hoped  they 


126  THE  PRO  AND  CON  OF 

will  discover  and  correct.  The  good  are  to  be  con- 
gratulated on  account  of  their  goodness,  the  bad  are 
to  be  commiserated  on  account  of  their  badness.  TTe 
are,  therefore,  to  have  '*  compassion  on  the  ignorant 
and  those  'vvho  are  out  of  the  way."  We  are  to  be  as 
God  is,"  kind  even  to  the  unthankful  and  the  evil." 

Is  this  religion  a  grevious  burden  on  men  ?  Xo,  it  is 
no  burden  at  all.  Is  its  yoke  heavy  ?  No  yoke  about 
it.  Is  it  hard  to  practice  ?  Far  from  it.  Will  it 
make  our  pleasures  less  on  earth  ?  It  will  greatly  en- 
hance and  increase  them.  Will  the  practice  of  it  sub- 
ject us  to  the  scorn  and  derision  of  ungodly  men  ? 
"  Who  is  he  ihat  will  harm  you  if  you  be  a  follower  of 
that  which  is  good  ?"  No  ;  even  the  vilest  of  men  are 
so  constituted  by  nature  that  they  cannot  but  respect 
virtue,  honesty,  goodness,  and  those  who  practice  these 
virtues,  whether  they  themselves  practice  them  or  not. 

The  truly  religious  man,  freed  from  every  vestige 
of  superstition,  full  of  confidence  in  God  and  human 
nature,  views  this  life  as  a  school,  a  state  of  discipline 
for  the  development  of  the  powers  and  faculties  of 
man.  He  believes  that  for  this  purpose  man  has  been 
subjected  to  many  and  grevious  evils,  but  that  never- 
theless, there  is  much  more  happiness  than  misery  in 
the  world,  more  virtue  than  vice,  more  good  than  evil. 
Evil  in  his  view  is  but  the  shadow  of  good.  "  There 
will  be  briers  where  berries  grow."  If  we  have  the 
good  we  must  take  the  evil  also.  Error  he  conceives 
to  have  no  existence  except  in  the  opinions  of  men. 
Outside  the  human  mind  there  are  no  errors,  no  mis- 
takes. Error  has  no  basis  in  nature,  no  solid  founda- 
tion to  rest  on.  It,  like  evil,  may  be  outgrown.  The 
error  of  tor-day  may  be  supplanted,  extinguished,  an- 
nihilated by  the  truth  of  to-morrow.     It  is,  therefore, 


SUPERNATURAL  RELIGION.  127 

transient,  evanescent,  passing  away.  So  with  evil. 
Tliere  is  no  absolute  evil  in  the  Universe.  Every  stage 
of  human  existence  has  its  apparent  evils.  The  igno- 
rance, dependence  and  helplessness  of  infancy  and 
youth  are  outgrown  when  we  come  to  be  men.  The 
evils  connected  with  manhood  we  are  relieved  from 
in  old  age,  and  the  evils  incident  to  old  age  are  termi- 
nated by  death.  We  may  hope  that  the  evils  of  our 
present  state  of  existence  will  not  follow  us  into  an- 
other and  higher  mode  of/  existence.  Whether  evils 
of  any  kind  will  exist  in  that  life  is  more  than  we  can 
tell.  But  if  they  do,  we  may  be  sure  that  the  Being 
who  has  so  guarded  the  interests  of  his  creatures  here, 
that  none  of  us  can  suffer  only  a  certain  amount  of 
pain  without  its  terminating  in  death,  will  so  protect 
his  creatures  there,  as  to  render  their  existence  a  bless- 
ing and  not  a  curse.  God's  ways  are  perfect.  '*He 
hatli  done  all  things  well."  He  has  so  established  the 
order  of  the  moral  world  as  that  no  virtue  can  be  un- 
rewarded, no  vice  unpunished.  The  man  who  inflicts 
an  injury  on  his  fellow  man,  at  the  same  time  inflicts 
a  much  greater  one  on  himself.  It  is  better  to  be 
slandered  than  to  slander,  to  be  stolen  from  than  to 
steal,  to  be  murdered  than  to  murder,  "to  suffer 
wrong  than  to  do  wrong"  Nature  knows  nothing 
about  forgiveness  in  the  sense  of  the  remission  of  retri- 
bution, nothing  about  inflicting  punishment  upon  the 
innocent  for  the  sins  of  the  guilty  ;  nothing  about 
atoning  for  sin  by  shedding  the  blood  of  innocent  vic- 
tims. On  the  contrary  the  great  law  of  Nature  is, 
"he  that  doeth  wrong  shall  suffer  for  the  wrong  which 
he  hath  done",  and  there  is  no  respect  of  persons." 
It  is  not  for  us  to  say  who  are  the  proper  objects  of 
God's  righteous  retribution,  nor  who  should  be  there- 


128  THE  PEO  AND   CON  OF 

cipients  of  his  blessings.  We  know  but  liule  about 
ourselves,  and  still  less  about  our  fellow  men.  We 
cannot  determine  the  amount  ot  guilt  or  innocence  of 
a  single  human  being.  It  ill  becomes  us  to  presume 
to  sit  in  judgment  on  our  fellows.  God  only  can  be 
the  proper  judge,  and  *'  the  judge  of  all  the  earth  will 
do  right."  It  is  for  us  to  look  with  charity  upon  all 
men,  to  encourage  them  who  are  in  the  right  way, 
and  to  pity  those  who  do  wrong    . 

The  true  religionist  rises  to  the  conception  that  the 
human  race  constitutesabrotherhood,that  we  all  have 
one  Father,  all  belong  to  one  Church — the  Church  of 
Humanity  ;  that  we  are  all  teachers,  and  at  the  same 
time  learners  in  that  Church,  that  the  Bible  of  Na- 
ture includes  all  books,  all  objects,  all  sounds,  all 
thoughts  and  all  sensations.  That  the  rites  and  cere- 
mones  of  this  Church  consist  in  doing  good  to  all 
men  as  we  have  opportunity.  The  whole  duly  of  man 
consists  in  doing  all  the  good  he  can,  and  as  little  harm 
as  possible. 

In  regard  to  futurity,  the  philosophic  religionist  re- 
alizes that  all  that  relates  to  the  future,  beyond  the 
present  moment,  must  be  included  in  the  domain  of  the 
unknown.  Aside  from  the  accounts  both  ancient  and 
modern  of  the  re-appearance  of  persuns  in  tlie  S|)irit 
who  were  known  to  have  lived  and  died  on  earth — ac- 
counts which  are  believed  by  some  and  discredited  by 
others — the  veil  which  separates  the  fuiure  life  from 
the  present  has  never  been  lifted,  much  less  removed. 
The  question  "if  a  man  die  shall  he  live  again  "  has 
been  as  thoroughly  investigated  and  discussed  as  any 
other.  Able,  learned,  and  good  men  have  advocated 
both  sides  of  the  question.  Whenever  a  peopie  emerge 
from  a  condition  of  ignorance  and  semi-barbarism 


SUPERNATURAL  RELIGION.  129 

doubters  and  unbelievers  appear  among  them,  the 
number  increases  in  the  ratio  that  intelligence  is  dif- 
fused, and  civilization,  culture  and  refinement  are  pro- 
moted. Belief  is  the  most  general  among  those  who 
think  and  know  the  least  on  the  subject.  Doubt  is  all- 
most  exclusively  confined  to  thinking,  intelligent, 
well-informed  men.  We  draw  no  inference  from  this, 
but  simply  state  the  fact. 

If  we  analyze  and  criticise  the  argument  usually  re- 
lied on  to  prove  a  future  life,  it  is  plain  that  they  are 
inconclusive  and  unsatisfactory  except  to  those  who 
are  resolutely  determined  to  cling  to  a  belief  in  it  with- 
out regard  to  argument  or  evidence.  To  the  calm  en- 
quirer whose  mind  is  regulated  by  evidence  in  believ- 
ing, and  who  has  no  desire  to  believe  anything  but 
what  is  true,  however  pleasing  and  agreeable  the  be- 
lief may  be,  they  will  be  seen  to  be  mere  inferences, 
often  from  premises  which  are  wholly  absurd,  or  deduc- 
tions from  premises  which  do  not  warrant  the  con- 
clusion. 

No  argument  in  its  favor  is  more  frequently  appeal- 
ed to,  nor  more  generally  relied  on,  than  that  founded 
on  the  desire  of  men  for  immortality,  and  the  haj^pi- 
fying  influence  of  a  belief  in  it.  It  is  surprising  that 
well-informed  men  can  delude  themselves  with  an  ar- 
gument like  this.  Who  does  not  know  that  the  hopes 
as  well  as  the  fears  of  mankind  can  be  as  readily  ex- 
cited by  fiction  as  by  fact.  And  who  does  not  know 
that  the  idle  fancies  of  our  childhood  days  are  dis- 
pelled by  age  and  experience  ?  In  like  manner  stern 
truths  of  logic  and  philosophy  dissipate  the  ideal  fan- 
cies of  our  maturer  years. 

On    the    other    hand    it  is    impossible    to  prove 
that  there    is  no  future  life.    The  utmost  that  un- 


130  THE  PRO   AND   CON  OF 

believers  can  do  is  to  nullify  the  arguments  of  the  be- 
liever by  demonstrating  their  entire  fallacy.  The  ques- 
tion then  relates  to  the  unknown,  if  not  to  the  un- 
knowable. It  opens  a  wide  field  for  the  imagination  to 
roam  in.  All  our  thoughts  on  the  subject  are  purely 
ideal  and  subjective.  That  they  are  not  reliable  is 
proved  by  the  fact  that  the  conceptions  of  different 
persons  are  in  direct  contradiction.  To  persons  who 
abound  in  hope,  the  picture  of  the  future  will  appear 
painted  in  the  most  gorgeous  colors;  to  those  in  whom 
fear  predominates  it  will  present  only  the  blackness 
of  darkness  forever. 

The  influence  of  the  belief  in  the  doctrine  in  ques- 
tion will  depend  on  the  character  and  disposition  of 
the  believer,  and  the  form  in  which  it  is  held.  In  cal- 
culating its  influence  upon  character,  it  is  necessary  to 
keep  in  view  the  following  facts.  1.  No  speculative 
opinion  has  the  power  to  change  the  nature  of  man. 
2.  The  natural  character  and  dispostion  of  men  being 
dependent  on  organization  and  temperament  can  be 
effected  but  very  little  by  their  opinions.  The  ut- 
most that  opinion  can  do,  is  to  call  into  exercise  feel- 
ings and  sentiments  which  already  exist  (in  a  latent 
condition  perhaps)  in  the  individual,  and  give  direc- 
tion to  his  actions.  3.  So  much  stronger  is  the  natu- 
ral character  than  opinion,  that  men  often  act  in  a 
manner  entirely  inconsistent  with  their  belief.  Men 
are  not  in  character  and  disposition  what  they  are,  be- 
cause they  believe  as  they  do.  Hence  we  have  good 
and  bad  men  of  all  forms  of  belief,  of  all  sects  and  of 
no  sect.  A  good  man  will  be  good  in  spite  of  his  be- 
lief, however  bad  ;  a  bad  man  will  be  bad  in  spite  of 
his  belief,  however  good.  Belief  is  not  a  sure  index 
of  character,   but   conduct   is.    "By  their   fruits  ye 


SUPERNATURAL   RELIGION.  131 

shall  know  them"  is  the  best  test  that  can  be  applied. 

The  doctrine  of  a  future  life  is  held  in  a  great  varie- 
ty of  forms.  In  some  of  its  phases  it  is  comparat  ve- 
ly  harmless.  But  in  the  form  in  which  it  has  been,  and 
is  now  most  popular  in  the  world,  if  it  is  capable  of 
^  doing  some  good,  it  is  also  capable  of  doing,  and  has 
done  an  immense  amount  of  mischief.  No  doctrine, 
whatever,  appeals  with  mere  power  to  the  hopes  and 
fears  of  mankind,  or  is  better  calculated  to  stir  their 
emotions,  and  call  into  exercise  all  the  feelings  of 
their  nature.  When  we  consider  how  general  has 
been  the  belief  in  it,  and  how  much  it  has  been  en- 
forced and  enlarged  upon,  it  is  truly  wonderful,  that 
its  influence  has  not  been  much  greater  than  it  has. 
Itcanonly  be  accounted  for  on  the  supposition  that 
its  most  intelligent  believers  have  not  more  tha^i  half 
belived  it,  and  that  the  ignorant  multitude  have  ac- 
cepted and  endorsed  it,  without  at  all  comprehend- 
ing its  full  import  and  meaning.  In  the  opinion  of 
the  writer  its  influence  for  good  has  been  very  gene- 
ally  overestimated,  while  its  power  to  do  harm  has 
not  been  realized  by  the  many,  and  has  been  perhaps 
exaggerated  by  the  few. 

In  contemplating  the  subject,  we  have  often 
wondered  why  men  do  not  more  generally  view  it  in 
the  light  of  reason  and  common  sense. 

A  conscious  existence  after  death  is  something  about 
which  all  knowledge  is  withheld  from  us.  If  knowl- 
edge on  the  subject  would  be  a  blessing,  it  would  not 
be  withheld.  Wc  may,  therefore,  conclude  that  it  is 
best  for  us  to  be  ignorant  in  relation  to  it.  We  have 
been  pushed  into  being  by  a  power  over  which  we  have 
no  control.  This  power,  if  it  knows  anything,  knows 
a  great  deal  better  than  we  do  whether  it  is  best  for  us 


133  THE  PRO   AJsD   CON   Or 

to  live  another  life  or  not.  If  it  is  Dest,  we  snail  ctJr- 
tainly  live  again.  If  it  is  not  best  it  is  foll}^  for  us  to 
desire  it.  The  best  course  for  us  to  pursue,  then,  is  to 
moderate  our  desires,  and  to  banish  all  aiixioas 
thoughts  upon  the  subject.  Anxious  mought,  even, 
in  relation  to  the  to-morrow  of  our  present  life  was  con- 
demned by  the  teacher,  Christ  ;  why  should  we  be 
more  anxious  about  another  life  ?  It  was  a  noble  say- 
ing of  the  great  Spinoza,  "  the  free  man  thinks  not  of 
death,  but  only  of  life."  The  great  question  for  each 
one  of  us  is  not,  shall  I  live  and  be  happy  to-morrow 
or  next  year,  or  in  another  state  of  existence,  but  do 
I  live  and  am  I  happy  to-day  ? 

Those  who  embrace  the  popular  view  may  boast,  as 
they  are  wont  to  do,  about  the  superiority  of  their 
faith;  but  who  has  the  most  confidence  in  the  Supreme 
Power,  he  who  is  willing  to  trust  his  destiny,  both  for 
time  and  eternity,  to  Nature's  disposal,  or  he  who  is 
constantly  troubled  and  anxious  in  regard  to  what  final 
disposition  is  to  be  made  of  him  ?  We  know  our  pres- 
ent existence  terminates  in  death,  but  we  do  not  know, 
nor  have  we  good  reason  to  believe,  that  death  is  an 
evil,  unless  it  be  an  evil  not  to  exist.  But  if  it  is  an 
evil  not  to  exist,  what  a  monstrous  and  inconceiva- 
ble evil  has  been  endured  by  every  individual  of  the  hu- 
man race,  in  that,  during  the  incalculable  lapse  of 
time  before  our  existence  here,  we  had  no  exist- 
ence. At  most,  death  can  only  put  us  back  into  the 
same  condition  we  were  before  our  existence  here. 
Not  to  be,  can  be  no  evil,  but  life,  if  it  is  a  miserable 
life,  is  an  evil  for  which  there  is  no  remedy  but  death. 
Neither  life,  nor  death  is  an  entity.  Both  are  phenome- 
nal. Death  is  the  absence  of  life,  or  the  negation  of 
life.     Nothing  is  more  natural  than  death.     Life  and 


STJPERNATURAL  RELIGION.  133 

death  are  intimately  connected.  Tiiey  run  parallel 
with  each  other.  We  no  sooner  hegin  to  live  ILxn  we 
commence  to  die.  Deatli  pervades  every  kingdom  in 
nature.  Man,  beasts,  birds,  fishes,  insects,  vegeta- 
bles, all  alike  are  subject  to  the  dominion  of  death. 
Can  it  be  that  a  thing  so  natural,  so  common,  so  uni- 
versal can  be  an  evil  ?  For  aught  we  know,  life  can- 
not exist  in  finite  beings  only  in  connection  with  death. 
Death  is  not  a  force.  If  life  is  a  force,  it  is  far  more  ra- 
tional to  find  fault  with  life  rather  thati  death,  inasmuch 
as  life  deserts  us  at  last  and  consigns  us  to  the  condi- 
tion of  death.  Nothing  serves  better  to  illustrate  the 
pernicious  influence  of  false  education  than  the  fact 
that  that  which  men  most  dread  and  fear  of  all  things 
on    earth    has  the    least  power  to  do  them   harm. 

It  may  be  objected  that  this  view  leaves  us  in  uncer- 
tainty in  regard  to  the  future.  But  is  there  not  the 
same  uncertainty  in  relation  to  everything  that  is  fu- 
ture to  the  present  moment  ?  We  know  that  we  live 
to-day,  we  do  not  know  that  we  shall  to-morrow  nor 
next  year.  When  we  close  our  eyes  in  sleep  we  are 
not  certain  that  we  shall  ever  be  aroused  from  our  slum- 
ber. However  certain  the  believer  may  be  that  he 
shall  live  again  after  death,  he  is  not  certain  in  regard 
to  what  his  doom  may  be  in  that  lite,  or  if  he  is,  his 
mind  must  be  in  painful  uncertainty  in  regard  to  the 
doom  of  others. 

Again  it  may  be  said,  that,  however  plausible  our 
view  may  be,  it  is  at  least  safer  to  adopt  the  popular 
belief.  If  we  proceed  on  the  principle  here  indicated, 
our  only  safety  lies  in  taking  refui^e  in  the  bosom  of 
the  Catholic  Church.  The  truth  is,  our  true  safety  con- 
sists in  being  honest  with  ourselves,  and  true  to  our 
own  convictions.     He  who  pursues  any  other  course  is 


134  THE  PRO  AKD   CON   OF 

either  a  slave,  or  a  hypocrite  and  knave.  Honesty  is 
the  mark  of  nobleness  and  manhood,  and  will  carry  a 
man  triumphantly  through  life,  through  death,  and 
through  any  life  that  may  await  him  in  the  future. 
The  motto  of  every  rational  man  should  be  this:  ' '  Tlie 
best  possible  security  for  the  future  is  a  wise  improve- 
ment of  the  present."  Once  more  :  It  may  be  object- 
ted  that  according  to  our  common-sense  view  of  the 
doctrine  of  a  future  life,  for  anything  we  know  to  the 
contrary,  death  may  terminate  the  existence  of  man 
forever,  and  this  is  rather  a  gloomy  view  of  human 
destiny. 

There  are  four  prominent  views  of  the  destiny  of 
man,  which  it  may  be  well  to  state  and  view  in 
contrast.  The  first  supposes  that  at  death,  man  is  re- 
solved into  his  original  elements,  and  is,  so  far  as  per- 
sonal consciousness  and  identity  are  concerned,  as 
though  he  had  never  been.  One  common  destiny 
aivaits  the  human  race.  In  the  grave  all  ranks  are  lev- 
eled, the  king  lies  as  low  as  the  beggar,  and  all  distinc- 
tions are  done  away,  If  we  are  insensible  to  happi- 
ness, we  are  also  beyond  the  reach  of  sorrow,  suflfer- 
ing  and  pain.  If  we  suffer  a  loss  by  death,  it  is  *a  loss 
of  which  we  shall  be  forever  entirely  unconscious. 
That  this  view  is  not  as  cheering  as  we  are  capable  of 
conceiving  we  have  no  disposition  to  deny. 

The  next  view  is,  that  there  is  to  be  a  future  life  to 
be  enjoyed  by  a  portion  of  the  human  race,  while  by 
far  the  largest  portion    are  to  be  annihilated  forever. 

The  third  view  admits  a  future  life  for  all,  but  con- 
tends that  while  it  will  be  a  life  of  blessedness  to  a 
comparative  few,  to  untold  millions  it  will  be  a  life  of 
inconceivable  wretchedness  and  woe. 

The  last  view  supposes  that  th*'-  future  life  will  ul- 


eUPETlNATURAL  RELIGION.  135 

timately  result  in  the  endless  enjoyment  and  happi- 
ness of  all  mankind. 

The  first  view  may  be  somewhat  gloomy,  but  it  is 
sustained  by  all  human  observation  and  experience. 
The  second  may  be  a  little  less  gloomy,  but  that  is  all 
that  can  be  claimed  in  its  favor.  On  the  ground  of 
rca.^on,  we  can  see  no  good  cause  for  thinking  that 
there  is  a  sufficient  dilTerence  between  the  best  man 
that  ever  lived  and  the  worst  one,  to  make  an  infinite 
difference  in  their  destiny.  The  third  has  a  bright 
side,  but  it  has  also  a  dark  side.  And  the  dark  side  is 
80  inexpressibly  horrible  and  revolting  as  to  obscure 
even  its  bright  side.  It  does  not  become  its  advo- 
cates to  object  to  the  first  view,  on  account  of  its 
gloominess,  so  lon^  as  their  view  is  so  much  more  li- 
able to  the  same  objection.  If  the  fourth  view  could 
be  sustained  by  a  sulTicient  amount  of  evidence,  no 
possible  objection  could  lie  against  it,  All  it  lacks  is 
the  proof.  Reason  sees  that  the  order  of  nature  is, 
that  whatever  has  a  beginning  must  have  an  end. 
Immortality  can  be  predicated  only  of  that  which  has 
had  no  beginning  in  time.  And  as  man,  as  a  conscious, 
•thinking,  being  had  a  beginning  in  time,  so  in  time 
he  must  have  an  end.  It  cannot  be  denied,  however, 
that  the  same  power  that  conferred  existence  upon  us, 
may  do  so  again  ;  but  whether  it  will  or  not,  is  more 
than  we  mortals  at  present  know. 

Reader,  if  you  are  morbidly  sensitive  on  the  question 
of  immortality,  you  may  not  like  the  views  above  pre- 
sented. Very  well,  my  friend,  you  are  at  liberty  to 
seek  for  better,  and  to  find  them  if  you  can,  but  I  beg 
of  you  not  to  deem  me  your  enemy  because  I  tell  you 
what  I  believe  to  be  the  truth. 
[the  end.] 


136  A  SKETCH  OF  THE 


A  Sketch  of  the  Life  of  E.  E.  Guild. 


When  the  foregoing  pages  were  nearly  ready  for 
the  press  I  wrote  to  Mr.  G.  requesting  a  short  notice 
of  his  past  career,  believing  that  the  same  would  be 
acceptable  to  the  readers  of  this  little  volume.  In  his 
reply  he  declined  the  suggestion,  saying  he  did  not 
think  his  life  had  been  eventful  enough,  or  that  it  had 
possessed  importance  enough  to  justify  anything  be- 
ing said  about  it. 

I  still  felt  that  a  brief  sketch  of  the  writer  of  the 
foregoing  pages  would  be  acceptable  to  those  who  read 
them.  I  wrote  to  Dr.  T.  L.  Brown  of  Binghamton, 
whom  I  knew  to  be  well  acquainted  with  Mr.  Guild, 
requesting  him  to  send,  unknown  to  his  friend,  a  short 
account  of  his  journey  in  life.  He  kindly  sent  the 
following,  and  every  reader  will  undoubtedly  thank 
the  Doctor  for  the  interesting  sketch  of  the  man  who 
has  led  so  blameless  a  life — who  penned  the  forgoing 
sensible  pages  and  who  was  too  modest  to  write  a 

word  about  himself. 

The  Publisher. 

Mr.  D.  M.  Ben^'ett,  Bear  Friejid:  Everet  Emmett 
Guild,  was  born  in  Delhi,  Delaware  County,  New 
York,  May  6th,  1811.     His  parents  were  from  New 


LIFE  OF  E.    E.    GUILD.  1S7 

England,  his  father  was  a  native  of  Connecticut,  his 
mother  of  Massachusetts.  When  he  was  three  years 
of  age  the  family  moved  to  Walton,  sixteen  miles 
from  Delhi,  on  the  west  branch  of  the  Deleware  river 
where  the  sujbect  of  this  notice  was  reared  until  he 
became  of  age.  His  father  was  an  Episcopalian,  lib- 
eral and  tolerant  in  his  views  and  feelings;  his  mother 
was  a  Congregationalist,  strongly  religious,  very  sin- 
cere, and  took  unwearied  pains  to  indoctrinate  the 
minds  of  her  children  into  the  creed  of  her  church. 
She,  however,  possessed  a  great  share  of  good  sense, 
and  attached  more  importance  to  a  correct  life,  than 
to  a  correct  belief.  She  was  a  conscientious  believer 
m  supernatural  religion  and  the  divinity  of  the  Bible. 
These  facts  are  mentioned  in  order  to  show  under 
what  religious  influence  Mr.  Guild  was  brought  up. 

Aside  from  his  own  efforts  to  educate  himself,  he  has 
had  no  advantages  of  education  except  those  af- 
forded by  the  common  school,  and  a  course  of  study 
of  theology  under  the  direction  of  Rev.  Stephen  R. 
Smith,  a  prominent  Universalist  clergyman,  then  of 
Clinton,  Oneida  County,  N.  Y. 

In  1835  he  comuienced  ofiiciating  as  a  clergyman, 
preaching  mainly  in  the  counties  of  Deleware,  Che" 
nango  and  Otsego  in  New  York,  and  Susquehanna, 
Luzerne  and  Wayne  in  Pennsylvania.  He  com- 
menced his  public  career  with  views  more  nearly  re- 
sembling those  of  the  Hicksitc  Quakers  than  any  oth- 
er and  always  called  himself  a  Quaker  Universalist. 

He  attached  but  little  importance  to  forms  and  cer- 
emonies, but  insisted  most  strenuously  on  the  practice 
of  morality  and  virtue.  It  was  often  remarked  by 
£ome  who  heard  him  preach:  "he  will  never  succeed 
he  preaches  too  inuch  truth"  or,  "  he  insists  too  much 


138  A  SKETCH  OF  TAB 

on  honesty."  During  his  ministry  he  engaged  quite 
extensively  in  theological  debate,  holding  some  ten  or 
twelve  public  discussions  with  prominent  clergymen 
of  the  Presbyterian,  Methodist,  Baptist,  Christian  and 
Second  Adveutist  denominations.  All  these  debates, 
however  excepting  one,  were  engaged  in  by  him  in  an- 
swer to  invitations  given  by  his  antagonists.  Mr 
Guild  always  identified  himself  with  the  progressive 
school  of  theologians  and  did  not  hesitate  to  give  the 
advocates  of  new  views  an  open  field  and  fair  play. 
Possessed  of  an  inquiring,  investigating  turn  of  mind 
and  devoting  much  time  to  study  and  reflection,  he 
kept  constantly  making  advances,  until  at  last  he  was 
completely  emancipated  from  all  traditional  beliefs, 
and  conscientiously  adopted  the  opinions  which  are 
set  forth  in  this  book.  These  views,  as  he  informs  us, 
are  the  result  of  more  than  forty  years  of  patient,  per- 
severing, and  untiring  investigation.  Mr.  Guild  is 
emphatically  a  "  self-made  man."  He  affords  a  fair 
example  of  vrhat  an  individual  may  accomplish  for 
himself  by  well  directed  eflort.  He  appeared  upon 
the  s'lage  of  public  action,  with  less  than  a  hundred  dol- 
lars in  his  possession,  and,  unaided  by  the  patronage 
of  rich  or  influential  friends,  and  although  holding 
opinions  at  variance  with  those  of  the  majority  in  the 
communities  in  which  he  has  resided,  he  has  succeeded 
in  procuring  for  himself  and  family  a  decent  support, 
and  in  gaining  the  respect  and  good  will  even  of  those 
who  were  the  most  bitterly  opposed  to  his  opinions. 
In  his  youth  he  was  distinguished  for  his  love  of  ath- 
letic sports  and  exercises.  In  running,  leaping, 
wrestling,  lifting,  ball-playing,  etc.,  he  was  seldom  ex- 
celled by  his  youthful  companions.  He  was  also  fond 
of  hunting,  fishing,  and  trapping,  and  was  great'y 


LIFE   OF  E.    E.    GUILD.  139* 

successful  in  these  pursuits.  In  the  meantime  he  was 
au  active  member  of  a  debating  club  in  the  village 
where  he  resided,  which  met  once  a  week  during  the 
Winter  season,  and  it  was  in  this  school  that  he  ac- 
quired the  habit  of  investigating,  and  learned  the  art 
of  debating,  and  of  public  speaking.  Mr.  Guild  is 
naturally  inclined  to  be  thoughtful  and  serious,  but  is 
also  fond  of  innocent  mirth,  and  relishes  jokes,  anec- 
dotes and  amusing  stories  right  well.  lie  is  an  intui- 
tive logician.  It  is  as  natural  to  him  to  arrange  his 
ideas  in  a  logical  method,  as  it  is  to  breathe.  His  an- 
tagonists in  public  debate,  very  soon  learned  never  to 
concede  to  him  his  premises,  for  if  they  did  they  were 
sure  of  being  "driven  to  the  wall."  Mr.  Guild  h:is 
a  passionate  thirst  for  knowledge,  and  has  devoted  a 
great  deal  of  time  to  the  acquisition  of  useful  informa- 
tion. 

There  is  scarcely  any  subject  that  ever  engaged  hu- 
man attention  and  interest  that  he  has  nut  inves- 
tigiitcd  to  Q,  greater  or  less  extent.  He  is  uniformly 
£00(1  natu»*ed  and  treats  everybody  with  proper  defer- 
ence and  ifjspect.  lie  never  obtrudes  his  opinions  on 
others  ;  but  when  questioned,  never  hesitates  to 
openly  and  frankly  avow  them.  He  hns  the  most 
perfect  command  of  himself,  and  although  possessed 
of  a  sanguine,  nervous,  excitable  temjierament,  it 
seems  almost  impossible  to  throw  him  from  his 
balance  even  under  the  most  trying  circumstances. 

Some  o/'  his  antagonists  in  public  debate  tried  their 
best  to  irritate  and  "provoke  him  to  wrath  ; "  but 
never  su':ceeded  in  a  single  instance.  On  one  occa- 
sion when  his  opponent  was  aggravatingly  insulting 
and  s.busive,  and  full  of  wrath,  shook  his  fist  in  his 
fao«  expressing  wonder  that  God  should  suffer  such  a 


"140  A   SKETCH   OP   THE 

wretch  to  live,  Mr.  G.  arose  and  very  coolly  remark- 
ed, that  he  had  often  said  that  he  would  be  willing  to 
trust  his  eternal  destiny  to  the  decision  of  the  worst 
man  that  ever  lived  ;  but  now,  said  he,  I  take  that 
back,  I  have  found  one  man  that  I  dare  not  trust  to 
that  extent. 

On  the  same  occasion  the  debate  was  attended 
throughout  by  the  wife  of  a  Presbyterian  Deacon. 
At  the  close  she  remarked  that  Mr.  S.  might  be  the 
most  orthodox  in  his  belief,  "but  surely,"  said  she, 
"Mr.  G.  is  by  far  the  most  amiable  man,  and  mani- 
fests most  of  the  Christian  spirit." 

None  of  his  opponents  ever  complained  of  his 
treating  them  in  any  other  than  in  a  fair,  respectful  and 
gentlemanly  manner.  Among  the  various  anecdotes 
related  of  him,  here  is  one  that  is  quite  amusing  as 
)llustrative  of  his  tact  in  warding  oli'  designed  insults : 
He  was  attending  a  quarterly  conference  of  the  Che- 
nango Association  of  Universalists,  which  was  held 
in  a  Baptist  church,  very  much  in  opposition  to  the 
wishes  of  some  of  its  proprietors.  He  was  appointed 
to  preach  in  the  forenoon  of  the  second  day.  On 
going  to  the  Church  in  the  morning,  a  slip  of  paper 
was  found  pinned  to  the  door,  on  which  was  written 
this  passage  of  scripture  :  "  O  full  of  all  subtlety  and 
all  mischief,  thou  child  of  the  Devil,"  etc.  It  was 
handed  around  among  the  preachers,  and  the  inquiry 
arose  what  should  be  done  vviih  it.  Mr.  G.  very 
quietly  told  them  to  hand  it  to  him  and  let  him  dis- 
pose of  it  as  he  saw  fit. 

After  the  preliminary  services  in  the  pulpit,  he  arose 
to  preach  his  sermon  ;  but  before  naming  his  text, 
coolly  took  from  his  vest  pocket  the  slip  of  paper,  read 
it,  and  explained  the  circumstances  under  which  it 


LIFE  OF   E.    E.    GUILD.  141 

was  found.  He  then  remarked  that  he  supposed  it 
was  designed  lo  characterize  the  preachers  then  pres- 
ent as  children  of  the  Devil,  and  so  far  as  it  was  in- 
tended to  apply  to  him,  he  begged  the  privilege  of 
assigning  a  few  reasons  for  thinking  that  lie  was  not 
a  child  of  the  Devil,  as  follows  : 

First,  It  is  a  law  of  Nature  that  children  should 
bear  some  resemblance  to  their  parents  in  their  phys- 
ical conformation.  •The  Devil,  it  is  said,  has  a  cloven 
foot,  but  if  you  examine  my  feet,  you  will  find  no 
such  deformity. 

Second,  It  is  also  nature's  law  that  children  should 
resemble  their  parents  in  their  natural  character  and 
disposition.  The  Devil  is  said  to  be  constantly  seek- 
ing whom  he  may  devour,  but  I  was  never  known  to 
devour  a  single  human  being,  nor  to  manifest  the 
least  disposition  to  do  so. 

Third,  My  mother  is  a  member  of  the  Congrega- 
tional Church,  and  if  you  go  to  her  and  tell  her  that 
I  am  a  child  of  the  Devil,  she  will  indignantly  repel 
the  charge  and  show  you  the  way  to  the  door. 

Mr.  G.  was  never  a  sectarian  nor  a  proselyter  in 
the  ordinary  acceptation  of  these  terms.  He  simply 
proclaimed  what  he  believed  to  be  the  truth,  and  left 
it  optional  witli  his  hearers  in  regard  to  signing  creeds 
and  connecting  themselves  with  ecclesiastical  organ- 
izations. He  is  a  reformer,  and  has  been  identified 
with  all  the  principal  reforms  of  his  day,  such  as  the 
dress  reform,  the  dietetic  reform,  prison  reform,  re- 
form of  the  criminal  code,  etc.  He  advocated  the 
gradual  emancipation  of  the  Southern  slaves,  and 
engaged  zealously  in  the  advocacy  of  the  policy  of 
making  the  public  lands  free  to  actual  settlers.  He 
assisted  in  starting  a  paper  in  Honesdale,  Pa.,  devot- 


1^  A  SKETCH  OF  THE 

ed  to  this  cause,  and  was  one  of  its  principal  contrib- 
utors. 

Being  an  intimate  acquaintance  and  friend  of  Galu- 
sha  A.  Grow,  a  Congressman  from  Pennsylvania,  and 
once  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  he 
was  instrumental  in  bringing  that  subject  to  his  no- 
tice, the  result  of  which  was  that  Mr.  Grow  intro- 
duced the  Homestead  Bill  into  Congress,  and  cham- 
pioned it  until  it  became  a  law.  -He  is  also  an  ardent 
advocate  of  the  temperance  cause. 

He  has  been  a  somewhat  voluminous  writer.  Con- 
tributions from  from  his  pen  have  appeared  in  a  num- 
ber of  different  papers.  In  184i  he  published  a  de- 
nominational book,  entitled,  "The  Universalist's  Book 
of  Reference."  It  has  passed  through  five  editions, 
and  is  believed  to  have  had  a  larger  sale  than  any 
other  book  of  the  kind,  except  one,  ("The  Life  of 
Rev.  John  Murray,")  which  has  been  much  longer  in 
market. 

As  a  public  speaker,  Mr.  Guild  is  slow,  cool,  delib- 
erate, argumentative,  methodical,  logical,  impressive, 
and  as  forcible  as  his  physical  strength  will  admit  of. 
He  makes  no  attempt  at  oratory,  and  uses  only  such 
words  as  are  in  common  use.  He  has  a  peculiar 
faculty  of  expressing  himself  clearly  and  intelligibly, 
and  of  making  himself  most  thoroughly  understood. 
He  always  has  an  object  in  view,  and  shoots  straight 
at  the  mark.  Having  a  vivid  perception  of  the  con- 
nection and  relation  of  one  truth  to  another,  and  of 
the  unity  of  truth,  his  discourses  are  often  too  thor- 
ough, elaborate  and  exhaustive  to  suit  the  taste  of  the 
unthinking  multitude,  and  can  be  appreciated  only 
by  intelligent,  thinking  men.  He  views  all  subjects 
from  the  standpoint  of  reason  and  common  sense. 


LIFE  OF  B.    E.    GUILD.  143 

and  seems  to  scorn  to  make  use  of  the  tricks  and  arts 
so  often  employed  by  public  speakers  for  mere  sensa- 
tion and  effect.  He  appears  to  rely  wholly  on  argu- 
ment and  persuasion  to  accomplish  his  purpose.  O. 
S.  Fowler  once  remarked  of  him,  when  examining 
his  head,  "  This  man  has  a  reason  for  everything  he 
believes  and  for  everything  he  does  ;  his  head  is  full 
of  ideas,  and  arguments  with  him  are  as  plenty  as 
blackberries  in  August." 

As  a  clergyman,  no  charge  was  ever  brought  against 
him,  except  that  of  heresy. 

As  a  man  and  a  citizen,  he  is  without  reproach. 
He  .now  resides  in  Binghamton,  N.  Y.,  has  retired 
comparatively  from  the  active  duties  of  life,  and 
claims  to  have  enjoyed  as  much  of  life  as  usually  falls 
to  the  lot  of  mortals.  In  theology,  he  is  a  Pantheist; 
in  philosophy,  a  Materialist;  in  medicine,  an  Eclectic; 
in  Religion,  a  Rationalist,  and  in  morals  a  Utilita- 
rian.   Truly  yours,  T.  L.  Brown. 

Binghamton,  N.  T.,  Oct.  18th,  1875. 


BOOKS!        BOOKS!        BOOKS! 

D.  M.  BENNETT, 
PUBLISHER  AND  BOOKSELLER^ 

335   BROADWAY,  NEW    YORK, 


Win  furnish  by  Mall,  books  of  all  kinds,  and  In  all  fields 
of  Literature,  embracing 

Science, 

Philosophy, 
History, 

Biography, 
Medicine, 
Law. 

Theology, 
•»  Romance, 

Poetry,  etc.,  etc. 

A  SPECIALTY 

Made  of  Scientlflc.  Liberal  and  Soiritualistic  Books. 

Books  carefully  packed  and  sent  postpaid  upon  receipt 
of  Publisher's  price.    Address 

D.  M.  BENNETT, 

835  Broadway,  N.  I 


Did  Jesus  Really  Exist? 


BY  D.   M.  BENKETT. 


The  extreme  doubt  whether  such  a  person  as  Jesus 
Christ  had  a  real  existence  is  strengthened  more 
and  more  the  fuller  the  matter  is  investigated.  The 
fact  that  he  never  wrote  a  line  that  has  been  handed 
down  to  posterity,  that  the  world  has  no  possible 
means  of  knowing  any  thing  about  such  a  personage 
having  lived  save  what  is  obtained  from  the  unknown 
authors  of  what  are  called  the  gospels  of  Matthew, 
Mark,  Luke  and  John;  and  when  there  is  no  evidence 
that  these  books  were  written  before  the  second  cen- 
tury, it  can  be  readily  understood  that  the  life  and 
character  of  the  individual  under  consideration  is  ex- 
tremely mythical,  as  there  is  no  cotemporaneous  his- 
history  showing  that  such  a  person  lived. 

Our  opponents  frequently  quote  a  paragraph  found 
in  Josephus,  corroborating  the  claim  that  such  a  per- 
son did  live  at  one  time  in  Judea.  But  Dr.  Lardner, 
one  of  the  most  eminent  Christian  historians,  long 
ago  pronounced  this  an  interpolation,  a  forgery,  and 
that  it. never  existed  in  the  original  manuscript  of  Jo- 


a  DID  JESUS  BEALLY  EXIST? 

sephns.  This  opinion  of  Dr.  Lardner  was  also  enter- 
tained by  Gibbon,  Ittigius,  Blondell,  Le  Clerc,  Yan- 
dale,  Bishop  "Warburton,  and  Tanaquil  Faber,  the 
most  of  whom  are  noted  Christian  authorities.  In 
fact  the  first  Christian  writers  and  authors  of  the 
past,  as  well  as  of  the  present  day,  unite  in  agreeing 
that  the  paragraph  alluded  to  is  a  forgery.  Eusebius, 
in  the  fourth  centuiy,  was  the  first  to  call  attention  to 
the  spurious  passage,  and  he  is  generally  accredited 
with  having  inserted  the  paragraph  referrring  to 
Jesus.  On  several  occasions  Eusebius  proved  him- 
self arhply  able  to  use  interpolation,  spurious  ad- 
ditions and  forgeries.  Mosheim,  in  his  Ecclesiasti- 
cal History,  page  70,  in  alluding  to  this  charac- 
teristic of  the  early  ChriBtiau  Fathers,  uses  this 
language,  that  "it  was  not  only  lawful,  but  commend- 
able to  deceive  and  lie  for  the  sake  of  truth  and 
piety."  It  is  lamentable  that  so  little  reliance  can  be 
placed  upon  the  authenticity  of  the  Christian  writers 
in  the  early  centuries  of  our  era.  The  fact  that  they 
were  crafty  and  designing  men,  and  that  they  used 
their  best  abilities  to  build  up  the  new  system  of 
religion  which  they  had  allied  themselves  to,  requires 
no  additional  proof. 

It  is  a  well-known  fact  that,  in  the  first  and  second 
centuries,  there  were  three  distinct  classes  of  Chris- 
tians; one  the  Gnostics,  who  firmly  held  that  such  a 
person  or  individual  as  Christ  had  not  had  an  exist- 
ence as  a  man  in  the  flesh,  and  that  he  was  a  spirit 
only.  The  Arians  were  another  class,  who  admitted 
that  there  was  a  man  Jesus,  but  that  he  was  merely  a 
human  being,  and  not  a  God.  The  third  class  main- 
tained that  he  not  only  existed  in  the  flesh,  but  that  he 
was  also  the  eternal  God  of  heaven  and  earth.     The 


DID  JESUS  REALLY   EXIST  t  3 

disputes  and  quarrels  between  these  contending  fac- 
tions became  very  heated  and  bitter,  until  finally  the 
third  class,  by  strategy  and  superior  numbers,  over- 
powered those  who  denied  that  such  a  person  as 
Christ  liad  had  a  real  existence,  and  forced  them  to 
abandon  the  field,  and  it  afterwards  became  a  recog- 
nized dognm  of  the  Church  that  Jesus  had  not  only 
been  a  man,  but,  also,  was  absolutely  God.  But  that 
large  numbers  in  the  first  two  centuries  did  persist- 
ently and  stoutly  contend  that  such  a  person  as  Christ 
had  not  had  a  real  existence  in  the  body,  cannot  be 
efifectuaiiy  gainsaid,  and  is  well  calculated  to  excite 
oar  liveliest  susuicions. 

in  taking  into  consideration  the  characteristics  of 
mA»»  WHO  have  played  an  active  part  in  difierent  ages 
oi  ik^6  vorld  In  establishing  the  various  systems  of 
raufriOB  and  creeds  the  world  has  Imown,  it  is  not 
dilficult  to  appreciate  how  such  a  system  as  Christian- 
ity might  have  gained  a  foothold  among  men  without 
the  events  strictly  having  transpired  which  are  claim- 
ed. In  our  own  day,  we  have  seen  Mormonism  arise 
from  the  merest  pretenses  and  the  barest  assertions, 
and  have  seen  it  within  a  few  decades  grow  into  a 
system  that  now  has  very  considerable  strength  and 
ha«  the  implicit  confidence  of  thousands. 

Mahomelanism  is  another  illustration  of  this  relig- 
ious growth.  It  originated  in  the  claims,  assertions 
and  aaeumptionsof  an  individual,  and  gradually  spread 
over  several  countries  until  hundreds  of  millions 
accepted  it  as  a  God-given  religion,  and  they  have  not 
a  shade  of  doubt  but  what  it  is  the  most  divine  bequest 
ever  made  to  the  world.  Thoso  of  us  who  are  not  under 
the  influence  of  this  religion,  can  easily  see  where  its 
devotees  are  mirtakeu,  and  that  Ihey  have  been  mia- 


4  Dm  JX8t78  RSAXLT  EXIST? 

led  by  designing  or  deluded  leaders.  If  it  is  impossi- 
ble for  us  to  feel  the  same  veneration  for  their  creed 
and  their  sjiperstitions  that  they  do,  we  can  compla- 
cently and  dispassionately  view  the  position  they 
occupy,  with  the  disinterestedness  of  an  outside'  ob- 
server, and  can  easily  perceive  the  mistakes  and  falla- 
cies they  have  made,  as  well  as  comprehend  the  uuten- 
ability  of  the  divine  claims  they  set  up. 

So  it  is  with  Christianity.  To  those  not  encircled 
within  the  influence  which  it  exerts,  and  who  do  not 
bow  to  the  demands  which  it  sets  up,  are  able  io  see 
not  only  its  defects,  but  the  errors  it  makes  in  claim- 
ing a  direct  divine  origin. 

When  we  find  that  the  authorities  upon  which  a 
system  rests  are  defective,  and  that  they  do  not  cor- 
roborate the  claims  put  forth  by  its  advocates,  we 
have  good  grounds  to  doubt  its  truth.  We  remarked 
that  the  four  gospels  were  unknown  till  near  the  close 
of  the  second  century,  or  rather  that  there  is  no  proof 
of  their  having  an  earlier  existence.  Irenaeua  was 
the  first  Christian  writer  who  referred  to  them  or  rec- 
ognized them  as  being  extant,  and  he  died  in  the 
forepart  of  the  third  century.  Other  pretended  and 
spurious  gospels,  almost  without  number,  had  been 
known  prior  to  this,  but  they  were  discarded  as 
fraudulent,  and  those  upon  which  the  grand  fabric  of 
Christianity  is  founded,  were  unknown  till  near  two 
hundred  years  after  the  time  Jesus  was  said  to  have 
lived.  What  an  uncertain  data  to  build  upon.  What  a 
fine  opportunity  was  here  afforded  the  early  fathers  to 
get  up  the  gospel  story,  or  to  have  it  written  to  order. 
The  gospels  have  been  attributed  to  various  Christian 
fathers,  as  well  as  to  bishops,  priests  and  monks,  but 
with  what  aipouut  of  truth  it  is  now  imnossiblo  to 


DID  JESUS  BBALLY  EXIST  ?  6 

demonstrate.  It  is  also  claimed  that  tbe  plot  of  the 
gospel  story  was  handed  down  from  the  Kssenes,  the 
Therapeuts  and  the  monks  of  Egypt,  and  was  revised, 
re-written  and  re-located  by  Christians  in  tlw  ^rly 
centuries,  similar  to  what  Shakespeare  did  by  the 
most  of  his  plays,  the  plots  of  which  were  borrowed 
from  tlie  inventions  and  traditions  of  earlier  times. 

The  Niceue  Council,  consisting  of  several  hundred 
quarrelsome  and  pugilistic  bishops,  called  together  by 
that  wholesale  Christian  murderer,  Constantine,  which 
assembled  in  the  year  325,  in  which  contentions  and 
fights  without  number  took  place,  took  into  consider- 
ation the  authenticity  of  fifty  or  more  "  gospels," 
written  by  different  individuals,  and  after  indulging 
in  the  most  acrimonious  dissensions  and  fist-fights, 
finally  decided  by  vote  whether  the  difi'ereut  gospels 
presented  were  the  word  of  God.  They  rejected  all 
but  the  four  now  in  the  Testament,  and  one  of  those 
was  admitted  by  a  single  vote  ;  but  it  was  not  until 
the  middle  of  the  sixth  century  that  the  books  now 
composing  the  New  Testament  were  fully  settled 
upon,  several  of  them  having  been  persistently  dis- 
carded by  previous  authorities.  Thus,  we  see,  by 
what  a  frail  tenure  our  boasted  '*  word  of  God " 
hangs,  and  how  easy  it  Was  for  fraud  and  deception 
to  have  been  practiced  in  getting  it  up. 

The  facts  we  have  here  mentioned,  together  with 
others  we  have  before  alluded  to,  the  close  resem- 
blance between  Jesus  and  Hhe  numerous  demi-gods 
and  teachers  who  preceded  him,  are  quite  sufficient 
to  shake  the  confidence  of  the  most  credulous  devo- 
tee in  the  actuality  of  his  existence.  Christna,  Budd- 
ha and  others  have  been  considered,  but  if  it  is  not 
too  much  like  repetition,  we  will  call  attention  to 


6  DID  JESUS  REALLY  EXIST? 

Others  who  preceded  Jesus,  and  to  whom  his  acts  and 
sayings  bear  a  very  strong  resemblance, 

Alcides,  of  Egypt,  was  said  to  have  been  born  of 
a  virgin;  to  have  performed  miraculous  cures;  to  have 
converted  water  into  wine  ;  to  have  cast  out  devils ; 
to  have  raised  two  persons  from  the  dead  ;  to  have 
restored  sight  to  the  blind  ;  to  have  made  the  dumb  to 
speak  and  the  lame  to  walk.  For  Osiris,  also,  simi- 
lar claims  were  made. 

Of  Pythagoras,  of  Greece,  his  devout  followers 
asserted  that  he  was  originally  a  spirit  from  heaven  ; 
that  his  birth  was  miraculously  foretold  ;  that  his 
mother,  a  virgin,  conceived  by  a  spectre  ;  that  in  his 
youth  he  astonished  the  doctors  by  his  learning  and 
knowledge  ;  that  he  could  foretell  events  ;  that  he 
could  subdue  wild  beasts ;  that  he  could  be  in  two 
places  at  once  ;  that  he  could  walk  on  water  ;  that  he 
could  handle  poisonous  serpents  without  injury;  that 
he  cured  all  manner  of  diseases  ;  restored  sight  to  the 
blind  ;  cast  out  devils  ;  allayed  tempests  ;  raised  peo- 
ple from  the  dead,  and  thousands,  almost,  of  other 
wonderful  feats  as  narrated  by  Jambilicus.  He  was 
said  to  possess  a  very  humble  disposition  ;  to  be  very 
kind  to  the  poor  ;  to  have  fasted  and  prayed,  and  that 
he  advised  his  disciples  to  forsake  relatives  and  houses 
and  lands  for  religion's  sake.  In  precepts,  moral  les- 
sons and  purity  of  life,  there  was  a  great  similarity 
between  him  and  Jesus,  but  the  latter  is  not  claimed 
to  have  existed  till  the  former  had  been  dead  five 
hundred  years. 

Prometheus  was  a  mythical  character,  but  five 
centuries  before  the  time  of  Jesus  it  was  held  of  him 
that  he  had  a  miraculous  birth,  that  he  had  a  band  of 
disciples;  that  he  taught  the  best  moral  precepts;  that 


DEO  JESUS  RBALLT  EXIST?  *t 

he  was  finally  crucified  as  an  expiation  for  mankind 
amid  signs,  wonders,  and  miracles;  that  nature  was 
convulsed,  and  that  deceased  saints  arose  from  theii 
graves;  that  the  sun  was  darkeiicd  and  refused  to 
shine;  that  after  crucifixion  he  descended  into  hell, 
and  was  afterwards  seen  to  ascend  into  heaven. 

Apollonius  of  Tyana,  in  Cappadocia,  had  faithful 
disciples  and  biographers  in  Dumos  and  Philostratus, 
who  made  great  claims  for  this  remarkable  personage, 
and  which  were  implicitly  believed  by  great  num- 
bers of  people.  That  he  had  a  miraculous  conception; 
that  his  mother  was  a  virgin;  that  all  nature  was 
subject  to  his  power;  that  he  performed  great  num- 
bers of  miraculous  cures;  that  he  restored  the  blind 
to  sight;  made  the  lame  to  walk;  cast  out  devils; 
raised  the  dead;  read  the  thoughts  of  those  around 
him;  caused  a  tree  to  bloom;  spoke  in  languages  he 
never  learned;  that  he  was  transfigured ;  that  he  led 
a  spotless  life;  that  he  did  not  marry,  and  opposed 
sexual  pleasures;  that  he  spent  his  time  in  teaching 
those  who  gathered  around  him;  that  he  was  a 
prophet,  and  could  foretell  events;  that  he  was  im- 
prisoned and  loaded  with  chains;  that  he  was  cruci- 
fied midst  a  display  of  divine  power;  that  he  rose 
from  the  dead;  that  he  appeared  to  his  disciples  after 
his  resurection;  that  he  finally  ascended  up  to 
heaven  to  sit  at  the  right  hand  of  the  Father,  and 
much  more  of  a  similar  character,  and  fully  equal  in 
every  respect  to  what  was  claimed  for  Jesus. 

Of  Simon  Magus,  who  also  existed  before  Christ,  it 
was  claimed  that  he  was  "in  the  beginning  with 
God"  that  he  existed  from  all  eternity  ;  that  he  took 
upon  himself  the  form  of  man  ;  that  he  was  the 
*•  word "  the  son    of  God '  that  he  was  the  second 


8  DID  JB8U8  BEALLT  EXISTf 

person  in  the  trinity  ;  that  he  could  control  the  ele- 
ments ;  that  he  could  walk  in  the  air:  that  he  could 
move  any  bodies  at  will ;  that  he  raised  the  dead ; 
that  he  came  to  redeem  the  world  from  sin  ;  that  he 
was  the  world's  *' Savior,"  "Redeemer,"  and  *' the 
only  begotten  of  the  Father,"  and  that  through  his 
name  the  world  was  to  be  saved. 

Numerous  other  "  Saviors  "  and  '*  Redeemers,"  who 
lived  before  Christ  might  be  named  in  this  connect- 
ion to  show  the  striking  similarity  which  existed  be- 
tween him  and  them,  but  we  have  already  quoted 
enough  to  give  the  reader  clearly  to  understand  that 
there  were,  hundreds  of  years  before  the  time  of  Jesus, 
abundance  of  material  of  which  to  spin  and  weave  his 
story  ;  and  that  taking  all  the  facts  into  consideration, 
the  prior  existence  of  similar  claims,  and  the  extreme 
doubt  of  the  authenticity  of  the  gospel  narratives  of 
Christ,  the  strongest  probability  is  that  such  a  per- 
sonage is  Jesus  never  had  an  existence  ;  or,  that  if 
he  did  exist,  he  was  only  a  common  mortal,  to  whom, 
a  century  or  two  after  his  death  was  falsely  attributed 
by  designing,  dishonest  persons,  deific  characteristics, 
impossible  performances,  and  moral  utterances,  after 
the  style  of  the  fabulous  demi-gods  and  distinguished 
teachers  of  older  times. 


TRUTH    SEEKER   LEAFLETS, 

Containing  two  pages  each  of  terse,  trenchant  reading 
matter,  without  redundancy. 

Price  by  mail,  4  otfl,  per  dot ;  26  cte.  per  hundred;  $2.00 
per  thousand. 

D.  M.  BENNETT. 

aaf  Broadway.  N.  T. 


JUST    ISSUED! 

BURGESS-UNDERWOOD 

DEBATE. 

COMMENCING   JUNE.    29th,    1875, 

AT     AYLMER,     ONTARIO, 

AND  GONTINUINa  FOUR  BAYS. 
BETWEEN 

PROF.  O.  A.  BURGESS, 

PEES'T  N.  W.  CHRISTIAN  UNIVEESITY,  INDIANAPOLIS.    IND., 
AND 

B.  F.  UNDERWOOD, 

OP  BOSTON.  MASS. 

REP0R2ED  BY  JOHN  T.  TIAWKE. 

First  Proposition.— The  Christian  Religion,  as  set  forth 
in  the  Now  Testament,  is  true  in  fact  and  of  divine  ori- 
gin.   Burgess  in  affirmative;  Underwood  in  negative. 

Second  Proposition.— The  Bible  is  erroneous  in  many 
of  its  teachings  regarding  science  and  morals,  and  is  of 
human  origin.  Underwood  in  affirmative;  Burgess  in 
negative. 

Every  person  who  likes  to  hear  both  sides  of  a  ques- 
tioa,  and  to  i)e  apprised  of  what  can  be  said  by  each  dis- 
putant, should  avail  themselves  of  the  opportunity  of 
procuring  his  valuable  work. 

PRESS  NOTICE: 

An  Aylmer  paper  of  July  9th.  l«75,  contained  the  follow- 
ing: "The  advocate  of  Chrisiianity,  Pres't  Burgess,  of 
the  Northwestern  University,  Indianapolis,  is  everthi  ng 
he  has  boon  represented  to  be.  An  eloquent  speaker. 
whoso  words  escape  from  his  mouth,  clothed  with  a  living 
earnestness  which  cannot  fail  to  find  a  responsive  echo 
in  ihe  heart  of  every  Christian. 

'•  B.  F.  UNDETiWooD,  of  Bosiou,  makes  more  impression 
on  the  thinkers  by  his  facts,  authorities  and  theories,  and 
when  those  need  more  forcible  expression,  is  not  inferior 
to  liUROESs  as  an  orator.  The  difference  between  him 
and  Burgess  in  that  respect,  is,  that  the  latter  is  almost 
atal.  times  eloquent. and  generally appealingto  the  sym- 
pathies of  his  audience:  whilst  31b.  Underwood  does  dot 
rely  on  the  momentary  Influence  of  language,  but  ad- 
vances idea  after  i  lea,  fact  after  fact,  theory  after  theory, 
with  such  startling  rapidity,  that  only  the  most  highly 
cultivated  mind  and  the  most  profound  thinker  can  grasp 
them." 

12  rao.    180  pp.    In  paper  60  cts.;  cloth,  $1.    Postpaid. 
D.  M.  BENNETT.  335  Broadway.  N.  Y. 


Truth  Seeker  Tracts. 


[REVISED    LIST.] 

No.  Cts. 

1.  Discussion  on  Prayer,  etc.    D.  M.  Bennett  and  two 

Clergymen.  8 

2.  Oration  on  tlie  Q-ods.    K.  G-.  Ingersoll.  10 

3.  Thomas  Paiae.    R.  Gr.  Ingersoll.  5 

4.  Arraingment  of  the  Church,  or  Individuality,  By 

R.  Gr.  Ingersoll.  5 

5.  Heretics  and  Heresies.    R.  G.  Ingersoll.  5 

6.  Humboldt.    R.  Gr.  Ingersoll.  6 

7.  The  Story  of  Creation.    D.  M.  Bennett  6 

8.  The  Old  Snake  Story.          *'  2 

9.  The  story  of  the  Flood.        "  6 

10.  The  Plagues  of  E^-ypt.        "  2 

11.  Korah,  Datham,  and  Abiram,    D,  M.  Bennett.  1 

12.  Balaam  and  his  Ass,    D.  M.  Bennett.  2 

13.  Arraignment  of  Priestcraft.    D.  M.  Bennett  8 

14.  Old  Abe  and  Little  Ike.    John  Syphers.  8 

15.  Come  to  Dinner.                      '*  2 

16.  Fog  Horn  Documents.          "  2 

17.  The  Devil  Still  Ahead.           "  2 

18.  Slipped  up  Again.                  "  2 
ly.  Joshua  Stopping  the  Sun  and  Moon.    D.  M.  Bennett  2 

20.  Samson  and  his  Exploits.    D.  M.  Bennett  2 

21.  The  Great  Wrestling  3Iatch.           "  2 

22.  Discussion  with  Elder  Shelton.     *'  10 

23.  Reply  to  Elder  Shelton's  Fourth  Letter.     D.  M. 

Bennett.  3 

24.  Christians  at  Work.    Wm.  McDonnell.  6 

25.  Discussion  with  Geo.  Snode.    D.  M.  Bennett  3 

26.  Underwood's  Prayer.  1 

27.  Honest  Quesnon  and  Honest  Answers.    Bennett         5 

28.  Alessandro  di  Cagliostro.    Chas.  Sotheran.  10 

29.  Paine  Hall  Dedication  Address.    B.  F.  Underwood.     5 

30.  Woman's  Rights  and  Man's  Wrongs.    John  Syphers.  2 

31.  Gods  and  God-houses.    John  Syphers.  2 

32.  The  Gods  of  Superstition  and  the  God  of  the  Uni- 

verse.   D.  M.  Bennett.  8 

33.  What  has  Christianity  Done?    S.  H.  Preston.  2 

34.  Tribute  to  Thomas  Paine.    S.  H.  Preston.  2 

35.  Moving  the  Ark.    D.  M.  Bennett  2 

36.  Bennett's  Prayer  to  the  Devil.  2 

37.  A  Short  Sermon.  No.  l.    Rev.  Theologicus.D.D.  2 

38.  Christianity  not  a  Moral  System.    X.  Y.  Z.  2 

39.  The  True  Saint    S.P.Putnam.  1 

40.  The  Bible  of  Nature  vs.  The  Bible  of  Men.    Syphers.  2 

41.  Our  Ecclesiastical  Gentry.    D.  M.  Bennett  1 

42.  Elijah  the  Tishbite.    D.  M.  Bennett  4 

43.  Christianity  a  Borrowed  System,    D.  M.  Bennett.       3 

44.  Design  Argument  Refuted,    B.  F.  Underwood.  3 

45.  Elisha  the  Prophet    D,  M.  Bennett.  2 

46.  Did  Jesus  ReaUy  Exist?    D.  M.  Bennett  8 


47.  Cruelty  and  Credulity  of  the  Human  Race.    Dr. 

Daniel  Arter,  3 

48.  Freethouffht  in  the  West.    Gr.  L.  Henderson.  5 

49.  Sensible  Conclusions.    E.  E,  Guild.  5 

50.  Jonah  and  the  Big  Fish.  D.  M.  Bennett.  3 
61.  Sixteen  Trut'i  Seeker  Leaflets.  No.  1  5 

52.  Marples-Underwood  Debate.    B.  F.  Underwood.  3 

53.  Questions  for  Bible  Worshipers.  B.  F.  U'vlerwood.  2 
5i.  An  Open  L'3t*cer  to  Jesus  Christ.    D.  M.  li-nnett.  5 

55.  Bible  God  Disproved  by  Nature.    W.  E.  Coleman.  8 

56.  Bible  Contradictions.  1 

57.  Jesus  Not  a  Perfect  Character.    B.  F.  Underwood.  2 

58.  Prophecies.    B.  F.  Underwood.  2 

59.  Bible  Prophecies  Concerning  Babylon.    Underwood.  2 

60.  Ezt^kiel's  Prophecies  Concerning  Tyre.  Underwood.  2 

61.  History  of  the  Devil.    Isaac  Paden.  5 

62.  The  J(^ws  and  their  God.    Isaac  Paden.  10 

63.  The  Devil's  Due-Bills.    John  Syphers.  3 

64.  The  Ills  we  endure— their  Cause  and  Cure.  Bennett.  5 

65.  Short  Sermon  No.  2.    Eev.  Theologicus,  D.D.  2 

66.  God  Idea  in  History.    Hugh  Byron  Brown.  5 

67.  Sixtei-n  Truth  Seeker  Leaflets,  No.  2.  5 

68.  Kuth's  Idea  of  Heaven  and  Mine.  Susan  H.  Wixon.  2 

69.  Missicnaries.    Mrs.  E.  D.  Slenker.  2 

70.  Vicarious  Atonement,    Dr.  J.  S.  Lyon.  3 

71.  Piling's  Anniversary.    C.  A.  Codman.  3 

72.  Shcidrach,  Meshach  and  Abed-nego.  D.  M.  Bennett.  2 
7:j.  Foundations.  John  SvDliers.  3 
7-i.  Diiiiiel  in  the  Li(in>'  Den.  D.  M.  Bennett.  2 
75    4u  Hour  with  the  Devil.    D.  M.  Bennett.  8 


Scientific  Series. 

1.  Hereditary  Transmission.  Prof.  Louis Eisberg.M.D.  5 

2.  Evolution;  from  the  Homogeneous  to  the  Hetero- 

geneous.   B.  F.  Und'rwood.  3 

3.  D.irwinism.    B.  F.  Underwood.  3 

4.  Literature  of  the  Insane.   Frederic  R.  Marvin.  M.D.     5 

5.  Responsibility  of  Sex.    Mrs.  Sara  B.  Chase,  M.D.  3 

6.  Graduated  Atmospheres.    James  McCarroll.  2 

7.  Death.  Frederic  R.  Marvin,  M.D.  5 
Discount  on  $1  worth,  10  per  cent. ;  on  $2  worth.  20  per 

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on  $10  worth,  50  per  cent.    Postage  paid,  by  mail. 

The  foregoing  Tracts,  with  a  nurabor  of  others  not  yet 
liste.l.  will  be  issued  early  in  1876.  in  THREE  VOLUMES, 
of  500  pages  each,  at  the  extrcincdy  low  price  of  go  ctiuts  in 
paper,  and  s  i .  o  0  in  cloth,  or  $1.50  for  the  three  volumes 
in  papier,  or  $2.50  tor  the  three  volumes  in  cloth.  Cheaper 
and  bnttcr  reading  matter  on  a  wide  variety  of  subjects, 
and  by  dillerout  authors,  can  nowhere  be  obtained. 

D.  M.  BENNETT, 

385  l]roadway,  N.  Y. 


Will  Tou  Take  a  Copy  ? 


tow  in  press,  and  will  be  issued  in  the  early  part  of  1878, 
THE 

I) 

'I 


IKofld's  Saps,  lofidels  aod  Tliinkers, 


Bflng  the  Biographies  and  Important  sayings  of  the 
most  distinguished  Teachers,  Philosophers,  Reformers, 
Innovators,  Founders  of  New  Schools  of  Thought  and 
Religion,  Unhelievers  in  Current  Theology,  Scientists  and 
Humanitarians  of  the  world,  from  the  early  age  of  Menu 
down  through  the  following  3000  years  to  our  own  time. 

A  crown- octavo  volume  of  over  800  pages. 

By  D.  M.  BENNETT,  Editor  of  The  Truth  Seeker, 

With  a  steel  plate  Engraving  of  the  Author. 

It  Is  believed  the  work  will  fill  a  want  long  felt,  and  will 
add  materially  to  the  general  information  touching  the 
characters  treated,  affording  a  succinct  and  correct  ac- 
count of  the  best  and  truest  persons  who  have  lived,  and 
In  a  convenient  and  economical  form. 

The  whole  will  be  divided  Into  four  parte: 

PART    I 

Will  embrace  Menu,  Zoroaster,  Ohrlstna,  Buddha,  Con- 
fucius. Lycurgus,  Anaxlmander.  Eplmenedes,  Pythag- 
oras, Solon.  Xenophanes,  Socrates,  Plato.  Diogenes.  Epi- 
curus, Zeno.  Hypocrates,  Aristotle,  Cicero,  and  many 
others  of  the  most  prominent  Grecian  and  Boman  Sages 
down  to  the  Christian  era.  « 

PART  II 
Will  contain  Jesus,  Seneoa,  Celsus,  Porphyry,  Pliny, 
Antoninus,  Plutarch,  Epictetus,  Galen,  Hypatia,  Julian 
the  A;>ostate,  Mahomet,  Roger  Bacon,  Boccaccio,  Bruno, 
Yanlnl,  Copernicus,  Galileo,  Hobbes,  Spinoza,  Lord  Ba- 
con, Descartes,  Hume,  and  many  otkers.  prior  to.  and  Ia 
the  eighteenth  oeutury. 


PART  III 
Enabraee*  later  Freethinkors.  Philosophers  and  Sel^av 
tiatii  down  to  our  own  time,  some  of  whom  are  Helv«- 
tluB,  Voltaire,  Rousseau,  D'Alembert,  Goethe,  Kant. 
Condorcet,  Volney,  D'Holbaeh.  Richard  Carlyle,  Sir  Wm. 
Hamilton.  Combe,  Paine,  Jefferson.  Humboldt,  Mary 
Wollstonecraft,  Shelley.  Comte.  Frances  Wright.  Harriei 
Martineau,  Kneeland,  Parker.  Feuerbach,  Lyell,  StrauBS. 
G.  Vale.  Buckle.  J.  Stuart  Mill,  and  others  who  have  ro 
oently4lied. 

PART  IV 
Win  comprise  the  livJns:  Scientists,  Teachers.  Llberallsti^ 
Advanced  Thinkers,  and  promul^^ators  of  Free  Thought, 
among  whom  are  Darwin.  Huxley.  Spencer.  Tyndall, 
Helmholtz.  Beuchner,  Wallace,  Crookes.  Renan.  Oolenso. 
Draper.  Fiske.  Holyoke.  Watts.  Bradlaugh.  Mendum, 
Beaver.  R.  D.  Owen,  S.  P.  Andrews,  Frothingham,  AbboK 
A.  J.  Davis.  Tuttle.  Denton.  Pike,  Ellis,  IngersoU,  Under- 
wood, Peebles,  and  numerous  others,  oomposlnff  thA 
mental  advance  guard  of  the  age. 

The  work  will  embrace  some  onb  hundbed  ajtd  nwTt 
of  the  characters  to  whom  the  world  owes  so  much  for 
the  progress  it  has  made  in  the  evolution  of  thou^rh^ 
truth  and  reason. 

An  important  feature  will  be  to  give  the  death-bod  Inol* 
dents  of  the  characters  treated,  so  far  as  possible,  thna 
disproving  the  false  assertions  so  often  made,  that Unb#» 
lievers  and  Infidels  recant  upon  their  death-beda. 

The  work  will  be  printed  on  now  type,  good  paper,  and 
will  be  bound  in  good  style.  Price,  by  mail  or  other- 
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order,  the  money  will  bo  refunded.  Those  wishing  the 
wo^k.  will  make  application  as  below,  that  it  may  1m 
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WOOD,  or  they  may  be  sent  to  tlio  Author  and  Publishet; 
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ESADEE,  WILL  707  EVCCUEAGE  THIS  ENTEBFEXSII 


Let  Your  Light  Shine!!! 


CIRCULATE  TRUTHFUL  DOCUMENTS!    PASS 

AROUND  THE  TRUTH  SEEKER  TRACTS 

and  other  Liberal  publications  to  do  missionary  wo.k 
and  to  help  in  opening  THE  EYES  OF  THE  BLIND  1 


THE  TRUTH  SEEKER  TRACTS 

aro  furnished  at  prices  very  low,  so  that  Societies  and 

§ener(.ius  individuals  can  buy  them  for  gratuitous  dUtri- 
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Probably  a  few  dollars  can  be  expended  for  spreading 
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p(- using  broadcast 

THE  TRUTH  SEEKER  TRACTS. 

Let  Liberals  exercise  liberality  enough  to  give  away 
thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  of  these  tracts.  They 
are  well  desiirned  to  do  missionary  work  and  in  spread- 
ing the  glad  tidings  of  truth.  If  a  proper  enthusiasm  is 
enkindled  in  tiie  breasts  of  the  lovers  of  Free  Thought 
and  Mental  Lib^-rty.  much  good  can  be  accomplished. 

Prices  ran^'c  from  one  cent  to  ten.  From  one  to  on* 
hundred  may  be  ordered  of  any  of  the  various  nunibers. 
and  a  heavy  discount  made  to  those  who  buy  by  the  avan- 
tity. 

Friends,  invest  $5  or  $10  in  this  way.  and  see  how  much 
good  it  will  do.  We  certainly  ought  to  bo  a^  z<\-?Kius  in 
promulgating  truths  as  our  adversaries  are  in  dlssemi- 
aating  error. 

Published  by  D.  M.  BENNE7  P. 

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Mental  Liberty  who  desires  Chat  sectarianism,  supersti- 
tion, bigotry  and  error  should  go  tc  the  rear,  ought  to 
subscribe,  and  induce  others  to  subscribe,  for 

THE  TRUTH  SEEKEH. 

It  is  fearless  and  outspoken  in  its  advocacy  of  truth  and 
progress,  and  in  exposing  the  myths,  false  theology  and 
pernicious  dogmas  of  the  past  dark  a^es,  and  in  ar- 
raigning priestcraft,  corrupt  institutions,  and  debasing 
beliefs,  antiquated  errors,  and  PKOMOTING  THE  BEST 
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What  Liberal  will  not  Help  to  eztend  its  Circulation  1 


THE  HEATHENS  OF  THE  HEATH, 

BY  WM.  McDonnell. 

Author  of  •*  Exeter  Hall."  etc..  etc 

This  Work  is  rich  in  romantic  and  pathetic  Inoldenta. 
It  eihibks.  with  an  overwholmlna:  array  of  facts,  the 

Terrible  Atrocities 

committed  by  the  Church.  It  shows  that  the  purest  mor- 
ality exists  without  the  Bible,  and  that  many  of  the  heath- 
en philosophers  were  "  Lovers  of  Virtue." 

Sliocking  Instancoj:  are  given  of  the  depravity  of  Chris- 
tian ministers,  and  of  the  prevailintf  Immorality  amone: 
Christian  people. 

The  folly  of  "Foreign  Missions"  Is  fully  portrayed. 
Hypocrisy  and  bigotry  are  clearly  exposed,  and  the  road 
to  virtue  and  happiness  plainly  marked  out. 

A  most  pleasing  Romance  is  woven  Into  the  work  in 
which  much  chance  i^  aff-^rdel  for  flue  descriptions  and 
beautiful  sentiments,  which  the  author  well  knows  how 
to  give  utterance  to. 

"On  the  whole  It  Is  the  work  of  a  master  hand— a  work 
of  uaaffoetod  beauty  and  the  deepest  Interest. 

•*  One  of  t!ie  most  valuable  features  of  the  work  is  that 
Its  positions  are  all  proved.  Every  thinking,  enaulrinff 
mind  should  peruse  it" 

PRICE.  In  paper. $1  00. 

in  cloth. 1  10. 

Sent  postpaid,  on  receipt  of  price. 

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1 


FACILITY^^ 


B    000  002  691     4 


